Final Fantasy High School
by Yaoi Junkie
Summary: Follows Tidus and his struggle through a new school, new friends, and new problems. Warning: AU, yaoi, slight drug and alcohol use, slight violence, and slight language. Pairings haven't been decided, will contain het and yaoi pairings.
1. Ch 1: New Friends, New School

For character bios go here: www. angelfire .com / goth / inkpoisoning / ffhsbios. html

(Take the spaces out of the URL first. I had to write it like that otherwise the...bloody thing kept eating the link XP)

* * *

Tidus stared up at the ceiling and listened to the rain. He hadn't slept one wink all night. Today was the first day of school in a new city. They had moved three times this year already. Auron promised this was the last move, but Tidus didn't really believe him. The teen looked over at his older brother's bed. Shuyin was fast asleep on his stomach, tangled up in his sheets, and snoring softly. Tidus sighed and looked over at the clock. It was 6am. 

Might as well get up. He thought.

Tidus sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He rummaged through his box of packed clothes and pulled out some jeans and a yellow T-shirt. He dressed and made his way to the kitchen. The teen wasn't surprised to see Rin already sitting at the table. A pot of coffee was starting to perk nearby. Rin looked up from his newspaper and smiled.

"Good morning honey. You're up early."

Rin was Auron's fiance. They had agreed to get married when Auron finally stopped getting transferred from city to city. Henceforth they've been engaged for five years. In fact, Auron had proposed to Rin the night before Jecht and Maya were in the accident...

"Tidus?"

Tidus blinked, snapping himself out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, I just couldn't sleep anymore." He finally lied.

"Want some breakfast?" Rin asked.

"Nah. I think I'm going to go shower."

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah. Just nervous."

Rin smiled. "You'll be fine and I promise you this was the last move. I can just feel it."

Tidus forced a weak smile and headed to the bathroom. He was extremely grateful towards Auron and Rin for taking he and his brother in. However he was tired of moving so much, trying to hold onto his old friends, and trying to makes new ones. Tidus really, really hoped this was the last move. The blonde entered the bathroom and closed the door. He stripped down and got into the shower. The door opened and Auron walked in.

"Morning Tidus."

"Morning." Tidus replied, lathering some shampoo in his hair.

This is why they purchased a dark blue shower curtain. There was only one washroom in their new, small house. Not exactly convenient for four people who got up at roughly the same time. Auron had left the bathroom by the time Tidus was done his shower. He locked the door so he could dry himself off and dress. As Tidus was leaving the washroom Shuyin stumbled passed him.

"Morning Shu." He grinned.

"Mmnf." Shuyin mumbled, closing the bathroom door.

Tidus chuckled. Shuyin wasn't a morning person at all. The blonde made his way back to the kitchen where Rin and Auron were now having breakfast.

"I made you a waffle." Rin said.

Tidus laughed softly and sat at the table. "Thanks Rin."

Tidus poured a bit of syrup on his waffle and started to eat. Auron drank down his last bit of coffee and stood.

"I'm off. You and Shuyin have fun at your new school."

Auron bent down and kissed Rin on the lips. "See you after work."

"Bye baby." Rin replied with a smile.

Auron smirked and left the house. The sound of his car driving off sounded minutes later.

"Shuyin!" Rin yelled. "Hurry up or you won't have time to eat!"

"Yeah, yeah." Shuyin mumbled, entering the kitchen.

"I made waffles." Rin said, pushing a plate towards Shuyin.

"Mmmn. Waffles." The blonde smirked.

"Just eat." The man laughed.

Tidus was already done his waffles. He gulped down the remainder of his juice and headed to the front porch. He went through his backpack and made sure he had everything. Shuyin emerged from the kitchen a few minutes later. He scooped his backpack up and turned to Tidus.

"Ready to go little bro?" He asked.

Tidus nodded uncertainly. "I guess so."

Shuyin smiled and clapped Tidus on the back. "Don't be nervous, T. You'll be fine and if anyone bugs you they'll have to answer to me."

"Okay." Tidus sighed.

"Now c'mon. Don't want to be late on the first day."

Tidus nodded and put his shoes on.

"Bye Rin!" He called.

"Bye Tidus! Bye Shuyin!" Rin called back.

"See yah after school, Rin!" Shuyin said.

The two boys made their way outside and got into Shuyin's truck. They buckled up and Shuyin started the truck. Tidus tried to control his nervous breathing as they backed out of the driveway and headed towards the school.

-------------------

Tidus looked around the packed gymnasium with wide eyes and he resisted the urge to hold Shuyin's hand.

"We have to sit with our specific grade." Shuyin said. "You gonna be ok?"

"Uh...yeah." Tidus replied.

Shuyin nodded. He gave his brother a reassuring smile and jogged off to sit with the Gr. 12s. Tidus looked at the Gr. 11s and swallowed hard. He walked up onto the bleachers and sat beside a girl wearing a black sundress. He briefly thought about introducing himself, but she didn't look that friendly.

"All right. Quiet down." A haughty female voice echoed over a microphone.

Tidus looked to the center of the gym to see a blonde woman in a pink business suit standing in front of a microphone.

"My name is Leblanc Viera. I'm the vice principal here."

A few wolf whistles then some snickers rippled through the crowd.

"For those of you who are new or need their memory refreshed listen up! I give this speech once and only once."

The vice principal then went into a big speech about the dress code, discipline, and many other "exciting" things. Tidus tried to listen but his mind started to wander. He went over his class schedule in his head and looked at the school map on the back of the binder the school provided. He really hoped he wouldn't get lost. His old school was only one story high. This school was three stories high.

"They didn't renovate the school during the summer break y'know. It's still the same." A female voice said.

Tidus looked up to see that the girl in the black sundress was talking to him.

"Well...uh...I'm new." Tidus stammered.

"I noticed." The girl replied. "I was just messing with you before."

"Uhm...okay?"

She laughed. "My name is Lulu. What's yours?"

"Tidus."

"Cool name."

"Thanks. It means 'sun'."

Lulu nodded, interested. "I think my name means 'rabbit' or something."

"There's a book in the library that tells you."

"I avoid the library." Lulu replied. "They don't have any good books. They banned them all."

Tidus laughed softly. "There's always the public library."

"True." The girl nodded. "So? See anyone interesting yet?"

"Besides you, no."

"Well if you see anyone point 'em out. I'll see if I know anything about them."

"Okay. Thank-you."

"No problem." Lulu smiled.

"Okay that's all!" Leblanc announced. "Enjoy your new school year and get to class!"

Groans echoed through the crowd and everyone started to disperse. Tidus smiled. Luckily for him his first class was gym. He didn't have to go anywhere. Lulu didn't get up either and Tidus looked at her.

"Do you have gym too?" He asked.

"Yup." She grimaced.

"That bad, huh?"

"Yeup."

"Are the girls and boys in the same class?"

"No, but we might as well be. We gotta share everything anyway. Come on, I'll show you the change rooms."

Lulu stood and Tidus saw that she had "Hello Kitty" brooches pinned to the straps of her dress.

"Those are..." Tidus almost said 'cute', but he didn't think Lulu would appreciate it. "...cool."

"Thanks." She smiled.

"Hey Lu. What's new?" A redheaded teen asked as he approached.

"Chappu, how many times have I told you not to greet me like that?"

"Forty times last year and once this year." Chappu grinned then nodded at Tidus. "Who's the new kid?"

His name is Tidus." Lulu turned to the blonde. "Ignore Chappu. He likes to think he's witty."

Tidus laughed softly and Chappu grimaced.

"Don't hang around Lu or the popular crowd will hate you!" Chappu sang loudly.

"See?" Lulu sighed, leading Tidus off.

"I think he likes you." Tidus smirked.

"I think he likes to annoy me." Lulu replied.

The girl showed Tidus to the change rooms then nodded at a glassed-in office. Two teachers were chatting inside.

"Be changed and ready before those two leave their office or you'll get hell."

Tidus nodded his understanding and he and Lulu went to the separate change rooms. Chappu was busy entertaining the guys with lewd jokes so Tidus changed quickly and walked out into the gym. Lulu and a few other girls were already changed and waiting.

"Chappu's telling his 'Rosie's legs' joke again, huh?" Lulu said.

"I think so. I wasn't paying much attention." Tidus answered.

"You must be the only guy to ever not listen to that joke."

Tidus nearly said that women didn't interest him that way, but kept his mouth shut. Shuyin got in enough fights at their old school defending his brother. More people started filing out of the change rooms. Lulu pulled a baggy green hoodie on and sighed.

"Are you athletic?" She asked.

"I could be, but sports don't really interest me."

"Me either. You can stand on the sidelines with me."

"Sounds good." Tidus grinned.

It was still raining when Lucil and Maroda ushered everyone outside to play soccer. Lulu, Tidus, and a few other kids stood on the sidelines and watched the athletic kids play.

"You don't smoke, do you?" Lulu asked.

"No." Tidus shook his head.

"Good. Don't start." The girl replied, pulling a pack of smokes from the pocket of her shorts.

She pulled a lighter out of the other pocket and lit a smoke.

"I ran track through all of Junior High." She said. "Now I can't even run down the hall to class."

"Maybe you should try to quit." Tidus suggested.

"Easier said than done my friend."

The soccer ball rolled to a stop at Lulu's feet. She kicked it back into play and flicked the ashes from her cigarette.

"Good kick, Lulu!" Lucil called.

Lulu gave her teacher a "thumbs up" then turned to Tidus.

"And that is how you earn a grade in gym. You get the next ball."

Tidus nodded and smiled. He couldn't believe he had a friend already. Well, at least someone who was nice to him. Tidus always seemed to have trouble making friends.

"Hey Lu. What's new?" Chappu smirked as he ran up.

"How about go away Chappu?" Lulu grimaced, taking another drag.

"Smoking is bad for you, Lu." Chappu's smirk grew.

"I'm going to kill you, Chappu. Ah! Now you've got me doing it!" Lulu exclaimed.

"I knew you'd catch on eventually." The redhead smirked.

"Go away you aggravating monkey!" The girl yelled.

Tidus laughed and Chappu made monkey noises as he ran off.

"Yup. He definitely likes you." Tidus remarked.

"He definitely likes to annoy me." Lulu replied.

The blonde laughed again and shook his head. The soccer ball rolled to a stop between him and Lulu. She moved aside and Tidus kicked the ball back onto the field.

"Nice one!" Maroda smiled.

"Uh...thanks?" Tidus replied.

--------------------

By the time lunch rolled around Tidus was actually feeling pretty good about his new school. Lulu was only in his gym class and he hadn't made any other new friends, but all his teachers seemed to be really nice. The blonde's stomach growled, reminding him that it was lunch time. He entered the cafeteria and wasn't surprised to see Shuyin chatting up a table full of people. His brother never had trouble making friends.

"Ah! Here's my baby bro! Tidus, come say hi."

Tidus rolled his eyes but walked over to Shuyin anyway. The blonde introduced everyone at the table. They all said hi and Tidus returned the greeting.

"So? how do you like it here so far?" Shuyin asked. "No one's given you any trouble?"

"No. No trouble and I like it here." Tidus replied.

"Good. You have lunch money, right?"

"Yup." The younger blonde nodded.

"Enjoy your lunch then."

Tidus nodded and walked off. He was almost to the lunch line when he was intercepted by Lulu.

"That your brother?"

"Yeah."

"Older?"

"M-hm." Tidus nodded.

"Are yah hungry?"

The blonde nodded.

"Well you don't want to eat here. Come on."

Lulu took a hold of Tidus' hand and led him outside. The girl pointed to the strip mall that was just up the hill from the school.

"There's a place up there with the best pizza, fries, and other junk."

Tidus nodded and the two teens walked up the hill.

"Do you have any siblings Lulu?" Tidus asked.

"Nope. It's just me, my mom, and her boyfriend."

The girl led Tidus to the place she had been talking about and went inside. It was packed with teenagers.

"Hey Lulu." One of the cook's grinned.

"Hey Tony." Lulu replied. "Give me a large slice of double cheese and pepperoni. What do you want, Tidus?"

The blonde quickly scanned the menu. "Medium fries and gravy please."

"Lunch is on me today." Lulu said.

"Thank-you, Lulu."

"No problem."

Tony made up their orders and Lulu paid for their lunch.

"See you around kiddo." Tony said.

"Bye Tony."

Lulu handed Tidus' styrofoam carton of fries to him and left the store. They walked back to the school and sat on the hill to eat.

"Rin would freak if hew knew I was eating this for lunch. He's a total health nut."

"Who's Rin?" Lulu asked, munching on her pizza.

"He's uh..." One of my dads? "...one of my legal guardians."

"Cool." The girl nodded. "Do you mind if I ask what happened to your parents?"

"They died in a car crash when I was 12." Tidus replied.

"That sucks."

The blonde smiled. No insincere "I'm sorry" or "how awful"s. A sincere "that sucks". That had to be the most sincere and honest answer he'd ever heard.

"Do you still remember them?" Lulu asked.

"Sort of. I remember what they look like. Shuyin and I have a picture of them in our room. But...I don't really remember them. I remember little things like my mother's perfume smelled like lilacs." The blonde's tone turned sour. "And that my father's drink of choice was rum."

Tidus trailed off, but Lulu could tell that he had more to say. She silently and patiently waited for him to continue.

"It was New Year's Eve. Dad and mom went to a party. Dad drank all night. Mom didn't. I'm not surprised that she let him drive. She knew he'd just deck her if she asked for the keys. They were driving home when my dad ran a red light. He swerved to avoid a collision with another car and wrapped the car around a lightpole instead. He died instantly. Mother was in a coma for a week before she died."

Lulu shook her head sadly. "I lost my father when I was three. He was a cop. He got shot in the head during a sting gone wrong. My father survived but he was braindead. He wasn't going to wake up so my mother consented to having them take him off life support."

Tidus nodded sadly in return. Lulu smiled softly and elbowed the blonde gently in the ribs.

"Lookit us. We're bonding. How darling."

Tidus chuckled and returned to eating his fries.

--------------------------

After lunch was over the rest of the day seemed to fly by. It only seemed like minutes had gone by the time the dismissal bell rang. Tidus made his way to his assigned locker and shoved everything into it. He hadn't any homework to do anyway. The blonde then went out to the parking lot to wait for Shuyin.

"Hey bro!"

"Hey Shu." Tidus replied.

"No homework?"

"Nope."

"Lucky. I've got some."

Shuyin unlocked his truck and put his knapsack in the back.

"Did you meet anyone today?" The blonde asked, getting into his truck.

"Yes." Tidus nodded, getting in as well. "I met a nice girl named Lulu."

"Cool. Buckle up."

The blondes put their seatbelts on and Shuyin started the truck. He waited for a school bus to pass before pulling out of his parking space and driving off.

"I suppose you met tons of people."

"Yeah." Shuyin grinned. "Some."

Tidus smiled and leaned back in his seat.

"Y'know I was afraid I would forget the way home this morning. I haven't though." Shuyin chuckled.

"That's good." Tidus giggled.

After ten more minutes Shuyin pulled into the driveway of their new home. He looked over his shoulder at the beach and smiled.

"We should go surfin'."

Tidus nodded. "Cool, but first..."

"We have to fill Rin in." Shuyin nodded.

The blondes gathered their stuff from the truck and went inside. Rin was unpacking the boxes that were piled in the living room.

"Hi boys! Did you have fun at school?"

"Yeup." Tidus nodded. "I actually made a friend."

"That's good news!" Rin smiled. "And you, Shuyin?"

"Made some friends and got some homework." The older blonde replied.

"Make sure that homework gets done."

"I will...but until then..."

Rin smiled. "You want to go surfing, right?"

"Yup!"

"Good thing I unpacked your stuff. It's in the garage."

"Thanks Rin." Tidus smiled.

"Be back in time for supper."

"We will!" The boys answered, heading into the garage.

* * *

Blonde? Tan? Whoever would have ever pegged Shuyin and Tidus as surfers? lol XD R&R Please . 


	2. Ch 2: Clasko

After checking to see how well their boards survived the move the two boys went inside to change. They had to search through three boxes of clothes before they found their swim trunks. The brothers changed, grabbed their gear, grabbed their boards, and went across the street to the beach.

"Dinky little house...but nice beach." Shuyin grinned.

Tidus nodded his agreement and smiled. There were a few girls sunbathing on the beach and there was a guy surfing in the water but that was it. Otherwise the beach was empty. Shuyin hoped it was like this on the weekends too.

"Nice waves. Not too big, not too small." Tidus observed.

The older blonde nodded. "Perfect."

Both brothers winced as the guy who'd been surfing wiped out terribly.

"Newbie." Shuyin said.

"Yup."

"Should we help him?"

"Yeah."

The two boys watched as the surfer swam to shore, dragging his board behind him. He walked up on the beach, dragged his board up onto the sand, and sat down with a sigh. The kid was obviously new to surfing. He was tall and lanky with pale skin plus he had no calluses or anything.

"Hey..." Tidus said, walking up.

The boy looked up at the brothers.

"Hi." He replied, brushing a lock of brunette hair from his eye.

"New to surfing are yah?"

The boy blushed. "How'd you ever guess?"

"The wipe out, the lack of calluses, the fact you don't have enough wax on your board..." Shuyin replied.

"My dad thought getting me a surfboard for my birthday was a good idea."

"It was." Tidus replied. "Surfing is good exercise and we'll help you out. My name is Tidus and this is my brother Shuyin. What's your name?"

"Clasko Jr."

"CJ." Shuyin replied.

Clasko smiled. "CJ. I like that."

"Let's see your board and your gear." Tidus said.

Clasko nodded and he stood up, leading the two brothers to his gear. Shuyin looked Clasko's wax over and shook his head.

"This is cold water wax. You need warm water wax." Shuyin said.

Clasko just shrugged. "My dad bought me everything."

"We'll let the wax soften in the sun then scrape it off." Tidus replied. "You can borrow some of our wax for today."

"Thanks."

They set Clasko's board in the sun to let the wax soften. The blondes then waxed up their boards and headed for the water. Clasko watched them from the beach. Shuyin and Tidus had almost always lived on the coast and they had always loved surfing. Their mother was a famous surfer before her death. She taught the boys how to swim and surf when they were five years old. The only time they hadn't lived on the coast was when Auron was transferred to an inland city. It almost killed the boys to not have a beach to surf at. They'd sit on their surfboards in the neighbor's outdoor pool and sulk. Now their experience was obviously showing. Clasko and the sunbathing girls were impressed by the boys' surfing. They showed off their skills for a few more minutes before heading back to shore to help Clasko out.

"That's how it's done." Shuyin teased as he and Tidus approached Clasko again.

"I'll give you better and more detailed tips than that." Tidus said.

Clasko chuckled and nodded. Shuyin went off to flirt with the sunbathers. Tidus stayed with Clasko. He took his last year's school ID card out of his backpack and started scraping the softened wax off Clasko's board.

"You can buy special rubber scrapers but using a school ID or a library card is cheaper. Never use anything metal though or you could scrape your board up."

Clasko nodded, clearly interested.

"So, how old are you?" Tidus asked.

"Sixteen. You?"

"Seventeen. Shuyin is eighteen."

"You look like twins."

"Yeah. We get that a lot." The blonde chuckled.

"Do you guys go to Coastview High School too?"

Tidus nodded. "Yeah. We just moved here a few days ago actually. My dad works for this huge corporation so he gets transferred a lot. This was supposedly the last move though. This is a nice board by the way..."

"Thanks."

Clasko rummaged through his stuff and found a movie store card. He then started to help Tidus scrape wax off the surfboard. The two boys were done by the time Shuyin came back.

"Their names are Serena and Nami. They're both eighteen and I got their phone numbers." Shuyin said, smirking.

Tidus just rolled his eyes and shook his head. "What kinda wax do you want to use, Clasko? I've got pineapple and Shuyin has apple."

"Uh...pineapple?"

The blonde nodded and got his wax out of his backpack.

"Okay. I'll show you how to do this." Tidus said.

The teen showed Clasko how to wax his board.

"After that you can scratch and rough the wax up a bit. That'll give you a better grip."

"Okay." The brunette nodded.

"Stand up. I'll show you how to stand on your board." Shuyin said.

Clasko stood up and Tidus gently set his board in the sand. Shuyin set his board in the sand and stood on it, showing Clasko the proper way to stand on his surfboard. The brunette observed Shuyin for a few minutes then tried it out.

"Good." Tidus smiled. "Let's try it out on the water now."

The trio made their way down to the ocean and started paddling out. Tidus showed Clasko how to get up on his board. Clasko tried, almost fell off, but managed to stand. The older Spardas brother nodded and they continued to paddle out. Shuyin took off surfing before Tidus and Clasko did. Clasko waited for a much smaller wave before he attempted to stand up and surf. The brunette still wiped out, but he was able to stay on his board longer.

The three boys continued to surf, even long after the sunbathing girls went home. Shuyin didn't even realize how late it was until he saw Auron's car pull into the garage.

"Whoa! Tidus, it's getting close to dinner! We better go in!"

Tidus nodded and surfed to shore alongside his brother. Clasko swam in, dragging his board with him. Tidus walked over to his stuff and grabbed his towel, wrapping it around his waist.

"I gotta get home too." Clasko said, drying his hair. "It's my turn to cook supper."

"See you at school tomorrow, CJ." Shuyin replied.

The blonde slapped Clasko on the back and jogged off. Tidus gathered his stuff up and smiled at Clasko.

"See you tomorrow?"

The brunette nodded. "Yeah."

Tidus nodded back and ran off. Auron noticed his boys jogging across the street and left the garage door open for them.

"You better make sure you always look out for traffic. It's still a road you know." Auron warned.

"Yes mom." Shuyin answered with a smirk.

Tidus laughed softly and set his surfboard in its holder on the garage wall.

"Rin really went to town. He set the garage up first." Shuyin said.

"Yeah. He spoils you runts." Auron grunted, going inside.

"Hardy har har, old man!"

Tidus rolled his eyes, closed the garage door, and followed everyone inside. Unsurprisingly Rin already had dinner cooking.

"Wash up, boys. Supper will be ready in fifteen minutes. Hi Auron."

"Hello Rin." Auron replied, kissing Rin on the lips.

Tidus and Shuyin went down the hall to their room to change. Rin had the air conditioning on and it made their wet skin break out in goosebumps.

"So? What do you think of Clasko?" Tidus asked.

"He's nice. Kinda geeky...but nice." Shuyin replied.

"Yeah. He reminds me of me."

The older blonde laughed. "Yeah kinda."

The blondes dried and changed into the clothes they wore to school. They returned to the kitchen and sat at the table. Auron was already sitting down, reading the paper.

"So? How was school?" He asked.

"Fine." Shuyin replied. "Tidus and I made some new friends even."

"Oh?" Auron looked over at Tidus.

The young blonde nodded. "Yup. I met a nice girl named Lulu and when we were surfing we met a boy named Clasko."

"That's good, Tidus. What about you Shuyin?"

"I met a few nice girls. I don't really remember their names." Shuyin replied.

Auron and Rin exchanged knowing glances. Shuyin changed girlfriends quicker than he changed his shoes. The buzzer on the stove rang and Rin went to turn it off.

"Tidus, can you set the table?"

"Sure thing."

Tidus stood and rummaged through a box until he found some plates and utensils.

"Do you know which box the napkins are in?" He asked.

"No idea. We don't need them though. There's paper towels on the counter here." Rin replied.

Tidus set the table then gave everyone a paper towel. He sat down again and sighed softly. Rin set supper on the table and encouraged everyone to dig in. Everyone waited for Auron to help himself. The man set his newspaper aside and filled his plate. Once that was done the rest of the family helped themselves.

"Luzzu has been transferred here as well." Auron said. "He'll be moving here next week."

"I'm glad to hear that." Rin replied.

"Yeah. Luzzu was your only cool friend." Shuyin added.

The man chuckled. "He was one of the only competent workers I had as well."

They talked about this and that for the remainder of dinner. Tidus was almost done when there was a low rumble of thunder and the subtle pitter-patter of rain on the windows.

"I hear it rains often at night here." Rin said.

"That's good in a way. Lots of sunny days for surfing." Shuyin chuckled.

"Crappy nights for school dances and stuff." Tidus replied.

"Oh hush you!" The older blonde laughed, ruffling his brother's hair.

Auron stood and collected everyone's dirty plates, setting them in the sink. "It's your turn to wash the dishes, Tidus."

"Yeah I know."

"Anyone want dessert?" Rin asked, standing up. "I bought a half-cake from the store today."

"Dessert sounds good." Shuyin answered.

The blonde got up and got some dessert plates and forks for everyone.

"Thank-you, Shuyin. Auron, the half-cake is in the fridge."

Auron nodded and got the cake out of the fridge. He then rummaged through boxes until he found a knife to cut the cake with. The brunette cut the half-cake into four equal pieces and they started to enjoy their chocolate dessert.

"So how was work today?" Rin asked.

"Okay. I can't wait until Luzzu gets here. I need someone with more than half a brain working for me." Auron replied.

Rin chuckled softly and fed Auron a forkful of chocolate cake. "That bad, huh?"

"Yeah." The brunette smirked.

Once dessert was over Tidus collected everyone's dirty plates. After a lengthy search through many boxes he finally found the dish soap and a rag. He couldn't find any towels though. The dishes would have to air dry.

"I'm going to do my homework." Shuyin announced, heading down the hallway to their shared room.

Auron scooped Rin up in his arms and they went into the living room to sit on the floor and watch the news. Tidus watched the lightning flash outside as he filled the sink with soapy water. Thunder rumbled, making the kitchen window shake slightly. As the blonde washed the dishes he thought about his day. It seemed that things were looking up for him. Two new friends in just one day was a record for him.

* * *

Agh! I have one of those annoying "right behind your eyes" headaches and it won't leave me alone. 

And a half-cake is well...half a cake. They make a good dessert if you don't have a large family. R&R please :3.


	3. Ch 3: The Party

Tidus had just finished the dishes when the phone rang. The blonde got the cordless off its hanger on the wall and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hi...Tidus?"

The blonde blinked, surprised. "Lulu? How did you get my number?"

"Looked it up in the school directory." Lulu replied.

"I didn't know there was one."

"Login to the school's website." She replied. "Your ID and password are in the binder they gave you...probably tucked some where in the back."

"Guess I have to unpack the computer..."

Lulu laughed softly. "Anyway, the reason I called is do you want to go to a party?"

"Yours?"

"No. One of Chappu's dumbass friends. I just thought this would be a good opportunity to introduce you around."

"Uh...I don't know..." Tidus replied.

"Come on. We won't stay that long."

The blonde thought it over and sighed. "Where do I meet you?"

"What street do you live on?"

"Papaya Dr."

"Ah cool. I'm only a block away from you. Go west and turn left when you leave your street. Walk down to Bay St. and wait there. Party starts at ten so meet me at the corner around nine."

"Okay. See you then."

"Bye."

Tidus and Lulu hung up. The blonde sighed heavily. He knew Rin and Auron wouldn't let him go. He'd have to sneak out...and bribe Shuyin to stay quiet. Tidus sighed again and walked down the hall to the bedroom he shared with his brother. Shuyin was sitting cross-legged on his bed with his homework sitting in his lap. Tidus walked up and sat beside his brother.

"Hey Shuyin." Tidus said.

"Hey." Shuyin replied with a smile. "Something I can do for you?"

"That was Lulu on the phone. She wants me to go to a party with her."

The older blonde grinned. "What time do you have to meet her at?"

"Nine."

"Good. That's enough time for you to do my homework for me in exchange for my silence and covering for you if the parental unit finds out."

Tidus rolled his eyes but held his arms out to receive Shuyin's binder and text book. He did his brother's math homework while the storm outside intensified. Shuyin watched some lightning spider across the sky and whistled.

"Some storm. Better be careful walking to and from the party." Shuyin said. "Visibility for drivers has to be shitty."

"I will." Tidus replied.

It didn't take Tidus long to finish Shuyin's homework. Soon they were lying on their respective beds, Shuyin listening to his discman and Tidus reading a surfing magazine.

It was about 8:30 when Auron poked his head in.

"Goodnight boys."

"Night dad." They replied.

You could tell when Auron had a bad day at work when he went to bed at any time before eleven in the evening.

"8:30... he must've had a really crappy day." Tidus said.

"Yeah..."

"Well I better go. I have to meet Lulu."

"Have fun little bro. I'll prop the window open after Rin goes to bed."

"Thanks Shu."

Tidus kissed his brother on the cheek, put a black raincoat on, and slipped out the window. Shuyin walked over to his brother's bed and arranged it so it looked like the blonde was fast asleep under the sheets. He put his CDs and discman away then proceeded to unpack his things.

The bathroom window was frosted glass so it was impossible to see in or out of. Nevertheless Tidus hoped Auron hadn't noticed a shadow quickly pass by the window. The blonde followed Lulu's instructions and walked down to Bay St. He stood under the awning of a store as he waited for Lulu to show.

It was 9:10 P.M. when a dark purple car drove up and eased to a stop in front of Tidus. The blonde's mouth fell open slightly.

"No way..." He murmured.

The passenger window rolled down.

"Hey little boy. Want some candy?" A familiar voice inside the car teased.

"Lulu! Nice car!" Tidus exclaimed.

"Oh it's not mine. It's Jaime's car. He lets me borrow it whenever I want though. C'mon, get in."

The blonde nodded and got into the car. Lulu looked him over and shook her head.

"You've never been to a High School party have you?"

"Is it that obvious?" Tidus blushed.

Lulu nodded. "You didn't change."

It was just then that Tidus noticed Lulu wasn't wearing her school clothes. She'd changed into a pair of black leather pants and a sparkly purple halter top that had "Queen Bitch" written on it in red nail polish. Her outfit was topped off with a pair of strappy, black platform sandals that had purple feathers glued to them. The blonde's blush intensified. And here he was in a T-shirt, jeans, rain slicker, and wet sneakers.

Lulu chuckled softly. "Don't be hard on yourself, Tidus. Just relax. Jaime is an actor. He carries a wardrobe around in the trunk. He's way bigger than you but his skin-tight stuff should fit you just fine."

"Oh I couldn't. I..."

"He won't mind." The girl said, popping the trunk.

The brunette stepped out of the car and rummaged around in the trunk. She closed the trunk and returned with some black cargo pants and a dark blue T-shirt.

"Do you know who 'Razor' is?" Lulu asked, showing him the shirt.

Tidus nodded. "They're one of my favorite bands."

"Cool." She tossed the clothes into Tidus' lap then got back in the car.

After ten minutes of struggling Tidus managed to change. Lulu told him to buckle up and drove off the moment he complied.

"So...what's the name of Chappu's friend who's having the party?" Tidus asked.

"Gippal Ibanez." Lulu replied. "Total pothead."

"Oh..."

The girl looked at Tidus briefly. "I don't expect you to drink or get high. Don't think otherwise."

"Shuyin and I got high...once."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Rin found out..."

"Lulu chuckled softly. "Uh oh."

"Exactly. We were grounded for a month and a half."

"Ouch."

"Never anger Rin. That's a very bad thing." Tidus laughed.

"I'll remember that." The brunette grinned and turned the windshield wipers on.

Lulu stopped for a red light. Thunder rumbled.

"Is it true that it rains at night a lot here?"

She shook her head. "No. However it is true that we get more thunderstorms than just regular rainstorms."

The light turned green and Lulu continued on.

"Do you have your license?" She asked.

"Yeah, but I don't have a vehicle. Shuyin does all the driving."

"You two look so much alike. You could be twins."

Tidus chuckled. "Yeah...we know..."

The blonde noticed that they were heading for the hills. The ones with the secluded mansions on them.

"The Ibanez family is filthy rich." Lulu explained as if she'd read Tidus' mind. "Gippal's mom owns and runs a successful modeling agency and his dad is in the diamond business."

"And he goes to public school?"

"Gippal hated the private schools his parents sent him to. He purposely flunked out of all of them so they'd have no choice but to send him to public school."

Tidus nodded. He understood that. After a long forty minute drive Lulu finally turned and headed up an immensely long driveway towards a mansion in the distance. Tons of cars were already parked outside. Paper lanterns and chili pepper lights were strung from tree to tree. Lulu parked on the grass between a truck and a motorcycle and got out. Tidus followed suit. They could hear the music already blasting away. The blonde swallowed the nervous lump in his throat.

"No one bites except me. You have nothing to worry about." Lulu teased, taking a hold of Tidus' hand.

Tidus chuckled nervously and let Lulu lead him inside. The house was packed with kids. Most of which he saw packed into the gymnasium that very morning.

"Ah good. I see a lot of the 'people of interest' are already here." Lulu pointed at a blonde. "That's Gippal and the guy beside him is Baralai. Baralai is and isn't a genius at the same time. He is a genius because he gets 100 on almost every test he takes. They wanted him to skip ahead four grades when he was in junior high but he decided not to. At the same time he isn't a genius because he chooses to be Gippal's best friend."

Tidus laughed softly and Lulu grinned.

"Now over there is Dona and her boyfriend, Barthello. I'd stay away from them. Dona is a bitch and Barthello is easily manipulated. Let's see now...over there is Lenne. She's the head cheerleader and really very nice amazingly enough. Oh, over there is Yuna. She can be kind of spacey but she's nice too. Want to hear some drama?"

"Sure." Tidus nodded.

"Lenne and Yuna are half sisters. Same mother. June, that's their mother, divorced her first husband when she was pregnant with Lenne. She met Braska, Yuna's dad, a few months after Lenne was born. They married and a year later Yuna was born. Then about... two years after that Braska came out of the closet. June divorced him and moved out, taking Lenne and Yuna with her. Later on she married a guy named Masato. He had a daughter from a previous marriage as well. Her name is Sandy. Anyway when Yuna was fourteen she decided to go live with her dad. Braska adopted Yuna while June and Masato adopted Lenne."

"Wow. Messed up." Tidus replied.

Lulu nodded. "That's the biggest drama our school has. Lenne and Yuna don't care who knows. They get along great even though their mother is very bitter towards Braska."

"Not even my family life is that messed up. Poor girls."

The brunette smiled and ruffled Tidus' hair. "Trust me. They're fine."

"If you say so." Tidus replied with a grin.

"Hey! Lulu!" Gippal called.

Lulu sighed and motioned for Tidus to come with her. They made their way through the crowd of teenagers to Gippal.

"Who invited you?" Gippal asked.

"Chappu. Who else? Why? Want us to leave?"

"No, no. It's cool." The blonde put a joint between his lips and lit it. "Chappu is around here somewhere. Wakka is too. The rest of the Aurochs didn't come though."

"Who?" Tidus asked.

Gippal looked up at Tidus and passed the joint to Baralai. "Who's this?"

"New kid. His name is Tidus." Lulu turned to Tidus. "The Aurochs are our school's blitz team."

"I'm sorry...what?"

"Blitz. It's this sport that Wakka invented last year. It's kinda like playing rugby underwater."

"Oh..."

"Wakka got it all copyrighted and shit." Baralai put in, passing the joint back to Gippal. "When it catches on to the other schools Wakka's goin' to be a millionaire."

"But never richer than the Ibanez family." Gippal smirked. "Want a hit?"

Tidus shook his head but Lulu took the joint and had a puff. She made a face.

"Man...for such a rich kid you certainly buy shitty weed." She said, not even bothering to hold the smoke in.

"Hardy har har!" Gippal snatched the joint back and took another hit.

Lulu chuckled and motioned for Tidus to follow her. He did and she led him into the kitchen.

"Want a beer?" She asked, opening the fridge.

"I guess one won't hurt."

Lulu tossed him a beer then grabbed a soda for herself. She saw Tidus looking at her questioningly and smiled.

"I'm driving." She said.

Tidus was impressed by her maturity and smiled. "You only took a hit of that joint so you could sass Gippal didn't you?"

Lulu thumbed the cap off her soda and laughed. "One day and you already know me so well..."

"I'm observant but it takes a while for it to sink in." Tidus chuckled.

The brunette laughed again and held up her soda bottle. Tidus opened his beer and clinked it against Lulu's drink.

"Cheers." They said in unison, taking sips of their drinks.

"Hey Lu, what's new?"

In response Lulu spit a little stream of pop at Chappu. The redhead laughed and opened the fridge door, blocking Lulu's attack.

"I knew you were going to do that." He said, getting a beer out of the fridge.

"Where's Wakka?" Lulu asked after she swallowed.

"He's staying here for the night so he's probably somewhere getting shitfaced."

Lulu nodded and turned to Tidus. "Ready to meet some more people?"

"Sure."

The brunette smiled and Tidus followed her out of the kitchen. They were walking by the front door when a blonde teenage girl flounced in.

"Gippal!" She called, almost knocking Lulu over.

"Babyyyyy..." Gippal grinned, hugging and kissing the girl.

"Who's that?" Tidus asked.

"I don't know. She must be Gippal newest freshman conquest."

"You look hot Rikku-baby." The boy smirked.

Lulu and Baralai rolled their eyes as Rikku giggled.

"Let's go before I yarf." Lulu said.

"Okay."

Tidus and Lulu walked into the living room and Lulu introduced Tidus around. Afterwards they made their way to the Ibanez's indoor pool. People were stripping to their underwear and jumping in the water.

"Ah. There's Wakka."

Lulu pointed to a redhead in black boxers standing on the diving board and shaking his rear at his friends in the pool.

"I was about to say he was more mature than Chappu but I take that back."

Tidus laughed. They watched as Wakka did a backflip into the pool. Once the redhead surfaced he spotted Lulu and swam over. The brunette smiled and crouched by the side of the pool.

"Hi Lulu." Wakka smiled then looked up Tidus. "Who's this?"

"I'm Tidus." Tidus replied, crouching beside Lulu. "I moved here a couple of days before school started.

Wakka nodded and started swimming backwards. "You two should come in. It's fun."

"Can you swim?" Lulu asked.

Tidus chuckled. "Yeah. I've been swimming since I was five."

"Want to go in then?"

"Sure."

"Let's go then."

Lulu and Tidus stripped to their underwear, left their clothes and shoes in a lawn chair, and jumped in the pool. Wakka splashed them as they surfaced.

"Wakka! You nerd!" Lulu laughed, splashing back.

Tidus watched the splash fight with a smile on his face. He turned to see Chappu come running into the pool area. The redhead slipped on the wet brick and landed on his ass. Tidus winced and swam to the edge of the pool.

"Are you ok, Chappu?" He asked.

"Yeah. I heard Lulu was in the pool so I came as fast as I could."

Tidus smiled. "You really like her, huh?"

Chappu smiled sheepishly and stood up, rubbing his sore bum. "You noticed, huh?"

Tidus looked over his shoulder. Lulu and Wakka were still having a splash fight.

"Yeah I noticed."

"Too bad Lulu doesn't feel the same way." Chappu sighed.

The redhead rubbed his bum once more before stripping down and jumping in the pool.

"Wanna race Tidus?" He asked once he surfaced.

"Sure."

The two swam to a empty part of the pool and started to race. They raced four times...Tidus won every time.

"Wow." Chappu said, breathing hard. "You're a really good swimmer."

"Been swimmin' and surfin' since I was five." Tidus replied.

"I saw that." Wakka said as he and Lulu swam up. "You kicked Chappu's ass."

"Ha ha..." Chappu dunked his older brother under the water.

Lulu rolled her eyes and Tidus and smirked. Tidus chuckled. The brunette spotted someone over Tidus' shoulder and she smiled.

"Paine! Over here!"

Tidus turned to see a girl with short silver hair walking up to the edge of the pool.

"Come on. I'll introduce you."

Tidus nodded and swam alongside Lulu. The girl Lulu had called Paine sat cross-legged on the edge of the pool.

"Hey Lulu. I made it." Paine smiled.

"That you did. Paine this is Tidus. Tidus, Paine."

"Hi Paine." Tidus said.

"Hey." Paine nodded.

Lulu looked at Tidus. "I'm getting out. Do you want to come with?"

Chappu swam up and wrapped his arms around Tidus' neck. "He'll be ok with me, Lulu."

"Are you sure?" Lulu eyed Tidus.

Tidus looked kind of frightened but he nodded. "I guess..."

Lulu laughed softly and climbed out of the pool. "I'll find you in an hour."

"Okay."

The brunette got one of the towels that Gippal had laid out and dried off as best she could. She got dressed and walked off with Paine.

"Is Paine like...her girlfriend or something?" Chappu asked his brother.

Wakka shook his head. "Nah. Lulu writes lyrics for Paine's band. They have a big gig coming up soon so they've been working overtime on some songs."

"Ah..."

One of Wakka's friends called his name and the redhead swam off. Chappu looked Tidus over and smiled.

"Let's go find Gippal."

* * *

Fingers hurt. Couldn't continue typing ;;; R&R Please . 


	4. Ch 4: So Wasted

There seems to be some confusion as to where this takes place. FFHS does not take place in the FFX world . It takes place in ours. The town this story takes place in is just a mix of all the Californian cities and towns I've visited. Hope this clears some things up.

* * *

Tidus very hesitantly left the pool with Chappu.

"Don't worry. I'll take good care of you." Chappu said, tossing a towel to Tidus. "Besides Lulu will kill me if I don't."

The blonde smiled somewhat. He dried off and redressed. It felt kind of weird wearing semi-damp boxers under his clothes, but he knew he wasn't the only one suffering. Chappu looked slightly uncomfortable too. The two boys then set off to find Gippal. They found him in an upstairs hallway making out with Rikku. Baralai was a few feet away mingling. Chappu shook his head and nudged at Gippal's foot. The blonde broke the kiss and looked the two. He seemed surprised to see Tidus.

"Where's Lulu?" He asked.

"Writing songs with Paine." Chappu replied.

Gippal nodded and motioned for Baralai to come over.

"Come. Let us drink. You coming Rikku-babe?"

Rikku nodded and they all followed Gippal to his room. He got out his hidden stash of alcohol and handed a bottle of hard lemonade to Tidus.

"Tastes funky, but you'll get used to it." Gippal said.

Tidus nodded and opened the lemonade, taking a small sip. It burned all the way down to his stomach and he coughed.

"Good, huh?" Chappu chuckled.

"We should play 'Truth, Dare, or Drink'." Rikku said.

"What's that?" Tidus asked.

"Truth or Dare except you have to drink any time you don't want to answer a truth or perform a dare." Baralai explained.

"I'm game." Gippal said.

"Me too." Chappu nodded.

Baralai nodded and they all looked at Tidus.

"Okay I guess." He said.

"Great. Chappu you go first." Gippal replied.

"Why me?"

"Because it's my party."

"Fine. Tidus, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Okay..." Chappu was stumped so he asked the first thing that popped into his mind. "Where'd you learn how to swim like that? You're a better swimmer than Wakka even."

"My mother taught my brother and I to swim and surf when we were very young. She used to be a famous surfer in fact."

"What's her name?" Baralai asked.

"Maya Spardas."

Tidus shifted uncomfortably as everyone stared at him. Chappu's mouth dropped open a bit.

"THE Maya Spardas?" Gippal finally exclaimed. "You're the son of THE Maya Spardas!"

Tidus' cheeks flushed slightly and he nodded. He'd forgotten just how famous his mother had been.

"Dude...wow. Just...wow..." Gippal murmured.

"Totally..." Rikku blinked.

Gippal then remembered the last article he'd ever read about THE Maya Spardas. She had died after being in a car accident.

"Sorry for what...happened to her." Gippal said. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Thank-you." Tidus replied.

'Truth, Dare, or Drink' was abandoned. The fivesome continued to talk about Maya and surfing as they drank.

------------------------

An hour later Lulu was looking for Tidus. She'd finished writing songs with Paine and the girl had gone home. The brunette knew something was up when a very nervous Chappu walked up to her.

"Please don't kill me."

"What did you do?" Lulu asked.

"Tidus is so drunk. Drunker than me. He is the drunkest."

Lulu frowned. Chappu seemed to be pretty wasted. She couldn't even imagine how drunk Tidus was.

"I'm going to kill you...so very slowly and so very painfully..."

"You're so totally morbid." He whispered.

"I'm also stupid for trusting you." Lulu snapped, walking off. She had a hunch as to where Tidus was.

"Oh man." Chappu groaned. "I blew it."

Lulu walked upstairs and headed for Gippal's room.

Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why did I leave Tidus with him?

The girl opened the door to Gippal's room and sighed. Rikku was passed out face first on Gippal's bed. Gippal and Baralai were drunkenly playing Street Fighter while Tidus lay on the floor looking sick.

"How many drinks did you give him?" Lulu asked.

"Six...seven...eight...? I don't remember." Gippal replied, laughing slightly.

"I am so wasted!" Tidus declared from the floor.

The brunette sighed and shook her head.

"We should get you home."

"Okay nice lady!"

Lulu sighed once more and helped Tidus stand up. He swayed on his feet slightly but managed to remain standing. She lugged him downstairs and outside into the rain. She let him stand there for a moment, hoping the coldness of the rain would sober Tidus up a bit. It seemed to make him a little more alert and she herded him into the car. She buckled him in then got in herself.

"I'm sorry, Tidus." She said. "I hope you don't get caught because of this."

"Because of what?" Tidus asked with a goofy smile.

Lulu sighed, buckled up, and drove off.

"What I mean is...I'm sorry I left you with that knuckle head."

"S'ok."

The rain was starting to pick up somewhat. The storm was getting worse. Tidus' stomach lurched more and more with every curve Lulu went around and every hill they went up and down.

"Pull over. Going to be sick." He said quickly.

Luckily they were just coming to a rest stop on the long winding road. Lulu quickly pulled into the rest stop and Tidus drunkenly fumbled with his seat belt. His stomach lurched again, hard. The blonde couldn't get his seat belt undone so he opened his door and leaned out as far as he could. While he dry heaved Lulu reached over and undid the his seat belt for him. She winced as he fell out of the car, crawled over to some bushes, and finally vomited.

Lulu got out of the car and crouched behind the blonde. She rubbed his back as Tidus puked three more times. After a while the dry heaves subsided as well and he sat back, wiping his mouth.

"Running on empty now?" She teased lightly.

Tidus laughed and nodded. "Yeah...and I'm still wasted."

"That you are. Let's get you home."

They sat in the car and waited for Tidus' stomach to settle down before driving off again. Tidus was a pretty good drunk. He wasn't surly, violent, or touchy-feely. He was just kind of...placid, giggly, silly, and sickly all rolled into one. He turned green a few more times on the way back, but never told Lulu to pull over.

"Should I help you get back in your house?" Lulu asked as they pulled into town.

"Nah. I'll be ok." Tidus replied.

"Are you sure?"

"Yuppers!"

"What's your address?"

It took ten minutes of thought before Tidus remembered. "26 Papaya Dr."

"I'm 32 Palm Ave." Lulu replied. "Man I hate the street names in this town. They're so...touristy."

"Vive la touriste!" Tidus blurted out.

"Live the tourist?" The girl laughed, heading for Tidus' street.

"Sí...yes...live the tourist." The blonde giggled.

Lulu laughed again and shook her head. She hoped he wouldn't get caught or sneak into the wrong house.

"What time izzit?" Tidus asked.

"Some time after midnight."

"Rin should be in bed then...that is if he doesn't know I snuck out."

Lulu parked across the street from Tidus' house and he breathed a sigh of relief. The porch light wasn't on. Rin didn't know.

"Are you sure you don't need help?"

"I'm sure. G'night nice lady!"

"Goodnight nice Tidus." The girl replied with a chuckle.

"Oh...my clothes..."

"It's ok-"

Before Lulu could finish Tidus got out of the car and was stripping in the middle of the street.

"Tidus!" She hissed...while trying not to laugh.

"What?" He grinned.

The blonde put Jaime's clothes on the seat beside Lulu and dressed in his own clothes. He put his shirt on backwards and inside out but Lulu said nothing. She just bid goodnight to her friend again and watched him stumble off. The girl decided to wait and see what happened. If there was a scream and Tidus came running then she'd know he'd snuck into the wrong house.

Shuyin raised an eyebrow as his brother came tumbling through the window. He did it rather quietly, but Shuyin had never known his brother to ungracefully tumble. Then he noticed the blonde's shirt.

"Are you drunk?" He asked with an amused grin.

"Nooooooo..." Tidus giggled.

"You are so."

"I so am..."

Tidus laughed and Shuyin shushed him.

"Quiet. You'll wake R 'n' A up."

"National Rifle Association?" Tidus blinked.

Shuyin laughed softly. "That's NRA, Tidus. I'm talking about R 'n' A, our parents."

"Ohhhhh...! Those guys!"

Shuyin shook his head and got up out of bed. "Let's get you changed and into bed. School tomorrow."

"I'm wasted." Tidus informed his brother.

The older blonde chuckled and started pulling his brother's shirt off. "I noticed."

Shuyin yanked Tidus' shirt off and the younger blonde fell on his butt.

"Man...you're soaking." Shuyin tossed the wet shirt onto the nearest chair.

"I had to puke." The blonde replied, lying back on the carpet.

"Lovely."

Shuyin took off Tidus' shoes and socks before unbutton/zipping his brother's jeans and working them off his hips.

"Ass up or I'll never get your pants off."

"Shuyin...how dirty..." Tidus giggled, but lifted his bum up anyway.

Shuyin rolled his eyes and pulled Tidus' jeans off. He hung them over the chair as well then grabbed a beach towel and draped it over Tidus.

"Dry off." He said.

"Fine, fine. Bossy..." Tidus muttered, drying himself off.

"And you take your boxers off. I ain't doing that."

Tidus zipped his boxers off and shot them into the dirty laundry hamper like they were a rubber band. Shuyin rolled his eyes and threw a dry pair of underwear at Tidus.

"Put those on."

"Yes master."

Tidus' skin was still slightly damp so he wrestled to get his boxers on for about fifteen minutes. Shuyin meanwhile was trying not to laugh his ass off. Once Tidus finally got his boxers on Shuyin helped Tidus stand then helped him dress in a pair of thin cotton sleeping pants and a white T-shirt.

"Feel better? Warmer?" Shuyin asked.

"Yup!" Tidus nodded. "Guess what, Shu-Shu...!"

"What?"

"You look like me...'cept older..."

Shuyin stared at his brother. "Tidus?"

"Yeah?"

"Remind me to go drinking with you."

"Okie!"

"Now...it's sleepy time. Shu-Shu and Tidus have school tomorrow."

"School..." Tidus whined. "How boring."

"My thoughts exactly. Now get in bed."

Shuyin held the covers up for Tidus and the blonde slipped into his bed with a happy sigh. The older sibling grabbed their trash can and moved it close to Tidus' bed.

"If you have to be sick during the night and you don't think you'll make it to the washroom use the trash." He said.

"Okie..." Tidus mumbled, already half asleep.

Shuyin brushed some hair out of his brother's eye then kissed his cheek.

"Goodnight T. I love you."

"L...o...ve you...nmmmn...too..." The younger blonde murmured, falling asleep.

"My brother...tonight he is a man..." Shuyin chuckled.

Shuyin turned their fan off so it wouldn't chill Tidus then got into his own bed. The blonde pulled the sheet up to his chin and snuggled in, falling asleep almost instantly.

* * *

Tidus is so gonna feel all those drinks in the morning (evil giggle). R&R Please . 


	5. Ch 5: So Hungover

Sunlight shone in through the window. It spilled across Tidus' face and a sharp pain assaulted his skull.

"Holy hell..." He moaned, rolling onto his stomach.

"Close. More like holy hangover." Shuyin replied with a grin.

"Ugh..." Tidus groaned in response.

"Sleep as late as possible. You gotta look lively in front of the parental unit."

Tidus just buried his face in his pillow and didn't answer. He felt like crap from the hangover but he also had a slight sniffle from being out in the rain. Shuyin grinned at his brother once more then got out of bed. He changed and made his way into the kitchen where Rin was already making breakfast.

"Let Tidus sleep in." He said. "He didn't get a very good sleep last night."

"But he went to bed so early..."

"Heard him tossing and turning all night. I didn't get a good sleep either because he kept wakin' me up."

"Poor Tidus." Rin frowned. "I hope he isn't coming down with something."

"I'm sure he'll be ok."

Shuyin snatched a hashbrown from Rin's frying pan then went down the hall to have a shower.

------------------------

Tidus hung between awake and asleep until Rin called him for breakfast. With another groan the blonde rolled out of bed. He very slowly changed into clean clothes. His mouth felt as dry as cotton and there was an awful taste on his tongue. On the upside his head didn't hurt as much as it did before. Tidus shuffled his way to the bathroom, washed his face, and brushed his teeth. He had subtle dark circles under his eyes but otherwise he looked ok. With a slight nod Tidus walked down the hall to the kitchen.

"How are you feeling, Tidus?" Rin asked. "Shuyin said you tossed and turned all night."

"I'm ok." Tidus replied. "Just kind of tired is all."

The blonde sat down and looked his breakfast over. He didn't really feel like eating. However he didn't want suspicion to arise so he ate bits and pieces of his meal.

"Well I'm off to the rat race." Auron said, taking his emptied plate to the sink. "See you, Rin. Bye Tidus, Shuyin."

Rin stood and kissed Auron good-bye. Tidus and Shuyin waved at their guardian and the man left. Rin took the empty dishes to the sink.

"I'm almost done unpacking everything." Rin said.

"You should wait for us to come home from school. We'd help if you asked y'know." Shuyin offered.

"No, it's ok. I really don't mind. It gives me something to do all day."

"Don't worry Rin. You'll find another job." Tidus replied quietly.

The blonde smiled at the two brothers. "I hope so. Being a full-time housewife is driving me insane."

They all shared a good laugh. Shuyin caught the time on the clock out the corner of his eye.

"Wow. We'd better get a move on, T."

The two blondes hugged Rin, gathered their things, and left for school.

"So do you remember any of last night?" Shuyin asked.

"I remember going to the party, jumping in the pool, and meeting new people. Things get kind of fuzzy after I went up to Gippal's room with him and his friends."

Shuyin and Tidus buckled up and Shuyin started his truck. He backed out of the driveway and headed for school.

"I remember having to vomit my guts up." Tidus continued. "And..."

Shuyin grinned as his brother's cheeks turned red.

"And what? What'd you do Tidus?"

"I remember stripping in the street."

The older blonde laughed. "Excellent."

Tidus moaned. "I hope I didn't do anything that caused me to lose Lulu's friendship."

"I'm sure you didn't, Tidus. You probably entertained her if anything."

"I hope so..."

"Don't sweat over it, T."

Shuyin turned into the school parking lot and parked in his assigned space. Lulu was sitting on one of the park benches in front of the school with Gippal and Baralai.

"Don't be afraid, bro. It wasn't the first time they've seen a drunk person I'm sure." Shuyin said, collecting his bag from the back seat and exiting his vehicle.

With a long sigh Tidus got out of the truck as well and walked over to Lulu.

"Look who it is." Gippal grinned. "How's your head, bud?"

"Don't ask." Tidus replied with a half-hearted grin.

Lulu chuckled. "You kept calling me 'nice lady'."

The blonde blushed. "I was afraid I did and said the worst."

"Naw. You're an ok drunk." The girl replied.

"Rikku's not coming to school today. Man she was wasted..." Gippal said.

Baralai shook his head. "I don't know what you see in the vapid valley girls that you pick up."

"And here I thought you were a genius, Baralai." Lulu replied. "Vapid and easy. That's what he sees in 'em."

Gippal scowled at his friends while Baralai and Lulu chuckled evilly. Tidus just stood there and smiled. His head hurt.

"Want some aspirin?" Baralai asked. "I have some."

"Sure. Thanks."

Baralai handed the aspirin to Tidus and Lulu gave him her bottled water. The blonde swallowed the pills with a mouthful of water and thanked his friends. The bell rang loudly, jarring Tidus' head. He moaned. Gippal winced too.

"The ringing in my head says it's time to get to class." Gippal smirked, walking off.

"Ugh." Tidus moaned again.

Lulu chuckled and linked her arm through his, leading him into the school. Baralai followed behind them.

"What class do you two have first?" The brunette asked.

"Math." Tidus replied.

"Biology."

"And I have band. See you later, boys."

Tidus bid good-bye to Baralai and went into his math class. His head was still throbbing slightly. The blonde sat in his assigned seat and folded his arms on his desk, resting his head on them. The teacher didn't even seem to notice and started prattling on about this and that.

"Hey. You..." Someone whispered.

Tidus looked up to see that girl Lulu had called Yuna was talking to him. He hadn't even noticed that she was at the desk next to him. She smiled kindly at him.

"I saw you at the party last night. Rough morning, huh?"

"Yeah." He replied, smiling slightly.

"Did you take any aspirin or anything like that?"

"Yeah. Baralai gave me some. It's sort of working."

"They need to make alcohol that doesn't hurt your brain or aspirin that works faster." Yuna giggled quietly.

Tidus smiled and chuckled. Yuna was spacy all right. Oh well. Like Lulu had said Yuna was nice.

"They only invite me because of Lenne. If she wasn't my half-sister they probably wouldn't even talk to me. I assume someone told you 'bout me and Lenne."

"Yes." Tidus nodded.

"It's like so messed up but Lenne and I don't care. Well...I kinda care. I wish my mother didn't hate my father."

Tidus didn't really know what to say. "Maybe she'll come to accept him eventually."

The blonde's eyes widened as Yuna nearly laughed out loud. "I highly doubt that."

"Mr. Spardas, Ms. Solei. I trust your whispered conversation is more important than learning?" The teacher asked.

"No sir." Tidus replied quietly.

"Sorry Mr. Fuller." Yuna smiled.

Mr. Fuller nodded and went back to talking. Tidus lay his head on his arms again and didn't lift it up until the noise of students changing classes started in the hallway.

"Pages 164-165 questions 1,2,3,4,and 5: A through P. Due tomorrow. Quiz on Thursday."

The entire class groaned. Tidus dumped his stuff into his backpack and stood up.

"What class do you have now?" Yuna asked as she bounced to her feet.

"Enligsh. You?"

"Art. I really like art. It's loads of fun."

Tidus tried not to laughed. "That's great."

"Yup! Well...see you later, Tidus!"

Yuna smiled widely at him and literally bounded off. The blonde chuckled and shook his head before heading to his English class. There was no assigned seating in this class so Tidus sat right in the back by the window. The sun shining down on his head instead of directly into his face made him feel a bit better. All he wanted to do was sleep.

"Hey Tidus." Chappu said, sitting in front of Tidus. "Is Lulu mad at me?"

"I don't know." The blonde replied. "If she mentioned so after the party I don't remember and she didn't say anything this morning."

The redhead sighed deeply and thunked his head on his desk before turning back to Tidus.

"Are you mad at me?"

"No. You didn't get me drunk. I got myself drunk."

"Tell that to Lulu."

"If you want me to I will."

"Nah. It wouldn't make a difference anyway."

Fortunately Mrs. Kazama, the English teacher, was pregnant and didn't feel so good herself. Therefore she didn't feel like teaching her class. The entire class lit up when she waddled in pushing a cart with a TV perched atop it. Since they were studying the works of Oscar Wilde she thought it relevant enough to pick up the movie about his life. Mrs. Kazama plugged the TV in and opened the tape case.

"Wasn't Oscar Wilde a total fag? I don't want to watch an entire movie of him and his boyfriend having butt sex." A guy on the other side of the classroom said.

Mrs. Kazama straightened up and waddled her way over to him.

"I will not tolerant that kind of foul language and derogatory slurs in my classroom, Mr. Rogan. Second of all this movie contains no sexual scenes of any kind. Now go see the principal."

Tidus watched as "Mr. Rogan" gathered his stuff and left the classroom muttering to himself. Mrs. Kazama made her way back to the TV and put the movie in the VCR. She turned it up way too loud like most teachers did then went to sit at her desk and sleep with her eyes open. Chappu opened his binder and started to doodle, only half-listening to the movie. Tidus was just happy that he could sleep and he set his head down on his desk.

"Chappu, wake me up if the bell doesn't." Tidus murmured.

"Okay." Chappu whispered back.

With the sun shining down on him Tidus dozed off into a warm and comfortable sleep.

The blonde was awakened it seemed like seconds later by Chappu and the sound of the bell tapering off.

"Come on, Tidus. It's time for morning break. We'll get you some coffee and the most sugar covered doughnut they have."

Tidus nodded stiffly and stood up. His head and neck were aching and he felt like crap.

"What'd I miss?" He asked.

"Just a boring movie. We're finishing it next class and Kazama didn't assign any homework."

Tidus nodded and followed the redhead to the cafeteria. They only had to stand in line for a few minutes. Tidus bought himself a coffee with sugar and a chocolate-glazed doughnut. He saw Lulu and Paine sitting at a table drinking their coffee and went to sit with them. Chappu showed up a minute later with two doughnuts hanging out of his mouth and one in each hand.

"How in the hell can you consume that much sugar in the morning?" Paine asked. "That'd make me barf."

"I need it to keep going, darlin'." Chappu mumbled around his mouthful of junk food.

The redhead sat next to Paine and carefully stacked his doughnuts on a napkin. Tidus chuckled softly and sipped his coffee.

"I heard you got totally hammered last night." Paine grinned at him. "How are you feeling?"

"Immensely crappy." Tidus replied with a small smile.

"He kept calling me 'nice lady'." Lulu snickered, taking a sip of her coffee.

Paine laughed. "How cute."

"You know that Yuna is in my math class?"

"Really?" The brunette raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah and you're right...she is kinda spacy."

Lulu chuckled and finished her coffee off. "That she is. Good thing she's nice."

"Yeah." Paine agreed.

Lulu looked at the wall clock. "I'd better get going. My French class is on the third floor. If I want to get there on time I'd better go."

"I'll go with you. I've got History class on the second floor." Paine replied. "See you later, boys."

"See you at lunch, Tidus." Lulu said, standing up.

The two girls left the cafeteria and Chappu sighed. He licked the icing of his last doughnut then picked at it.

"She is mad at me. She didn't talk to me at all."

Tidus gave the redhead a sympathetic look. "I'll talk to her."

"No, it's ok. I got her mad at me so I should be the one to get her unmad."

The blonde laughed softly. "Unmad?"

"Yes. I have a poetic license. Don't bug me." Chappu grinned.

The two boys laughed.

"So what class do you have now?" Chappu wanted to know.

Tidus replied, "Chemistry."

"That's a class you definitely can't sleep through."

"Tell me about it. What class do you have?"

"Computers."

"I'll trade you classes. I think I need more sleep." Tidus teased.

The redhead laughed. "If I could I would."

The blonde was just finishing off his coffee and doughnut when the bell sounded. Tidus stood up, bid goodbye to Chappu, and headed to class. The aspirin he'd taken was starting to wear off and his head was beginning to throb.

If I survive this day I will never, ever drink again... The blonde thought as he rubbed his sore head and walked to class.

* * *

Poor Tidus. He's really feelin' those drinks now ;; R&R Please . 


	6. Ch 6: Chemistry

Tidus smiled when he saw Clasko Jr. was in his Chemistry class. He sat at the lab table beside the brunette and smiled.

"Surprised to see you here." He said.

Clasko smiled. "I gave up one of my option classes to take Chem instead. I want to get a head start."

"That's...good I think. Want to be lab partners?"

"Sure, but...are you ok? You look awful."

Tidus smiled sheepishly. "I got drunk for the first time at a party last night. Now I'm paying for it."

To the blonde's surprise Clasko groaned and thunked his head on the table.

"The new guy got invited to Gippal Ibanez's party and I didn't? I really am a loser. No offense Tidus."

"None taken, but why did you want to go so bad?"

"So people would notice I'm alive."

Tidus smiled softly. "I notice that you're alive."

"Thanks." Clasko smiled back.

"Give me your phone number." Tidus said. "If I get invited to another party I'll call and invite you."

"Really?"

"M-hm."

"Thanks Tidus."

"No problem."

"You're really nice."

Clasko ripped a sheet of paper out of his binder and wrote his name and phone number on it. He folded it in half and handed it to Tidus.

"You said you wanted people to notice you're alive...is there anyone specific you want to notice?" Tidus asked, tucking the paper into his backpack.

Clasko shook his head, "Not at the moment, no."

"Just want to make some friends, hmn?"

"Yeah. I only had one friend last year and she moved away."

"I can understand. It's always been hard for me to make friends. To tell you the truth I was very surprised to make friends with you and Lulu. Two new friends in one day is a record for me."

The brunette smiled. "Got you beat. One new friend in one day is a record for me."

The pair laughed until the teacher entered the room and cleared his throat. Tidus tried to listen to the teacher but there was a dull throbbing in his head that wasn't going away. By the time the teacher stopped talking Tidus had no idea what to do. He looked at Clasko sheepishly.

"Clasko..."

"It's ok. I understand. I'll do the actual chemical mixing and tell you what to write in our lab."

"I'm so sorry."

"Hey, it's ok. Don't worry about it."

So Clasko mixed the chemicals and dictated the notes to Tidus. The blonde seemed to be nearing the worst part of his hangover. The dull throb in his head had turned into a roaring pain. Clasko looked him over once they were finished their first experiment.

"Tidus...you really look bad. Maybe you should go to the nurse's office."

Tidus nodded weakly, "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."

"Do you want me to take you there?"

"No, it's ok."

The blonde got to his feet and swallowed hard. His mouth and throat were dry as cotton and a sheen of sweat beaded on his skin. He approached the teacher's desk and cleared his throat slightly.

"Can I go to the nurse's office please? I'm not feeling well."

Mr. Cole looked up and Tidus. He looked the pale boy over and nodded.

"Yes. Go ahead."

"Thank-you."

Suddenly the blonde felt hot and cold at the same time. He somehow managed to gather his things and leave the classroom.

I think I'm going to faint...

Tidus stumbled slightly. He felt immensely unbalanced and woozy.

"Hey, are you all right?" Someone asked.

The teen was vaguely aware of strong arms catching him before he blacked out.

When Tidus opened his eyes he felt much better. His vision cleared and he saw that he was lying on a cot in the nurse's office. Rin was there, smiling down at him worriedly.

"Hi honey. How do you feel?" Rin asked.

"Not bad. What happened?"

"You fainted." The nurse replied. "That student carried you here and I phoned your parental contact."

Tidus lifted his head up to see Wakka standing sort-of in the doorway.

"I knew I should have kept you home from school." Rin said. "Being sick in this heat probably didn't help you."

"It's ok, Rin." Tidus replied. "It's not your fault."

"Keep him hydrated and comfortably cool." The nurse said. "And make sure he gets plenty of rest."

"Wakka?" Rin asked. "Could you help me?"

"Sure thing." Wakka answered, entering the office.

Rin and the nurse helped Tidus to his feet. The blonde's legs felt rubbery. His knees buckled and he nearly fell. Wakka and Rin caught him by the arms.

"I'll just carry him. You lead the way." Wakka said to Rin.

Before Tidus could protest Wakka scooped him up in his arms and followed Rin down the hall.

"What about Shuyin?" Tidus asked. "He'll wonder where I am."

"I'm in Shuyin's class." Wakka replied. "I'll fill him in."

"Oh...okay. Thank-you."

"No problem."

Wakka carried Tidus to the awaiting cab. Rin got in the vehicle and helped Wakka get Tidus inside.

"Get lots of rest, eh kid?" Wakka said.

"I will. Thanks." Tidus said, closing the door.

The blonde sighed heavily and leaned against Rin. The man stroked Tidus' hair and told the cabby to head home. By the time they reached home a bit of strength had returned to Tidus' legs. Rin paid the cab driver, helped Tidus out of the cab, and into the house. He took the blonde into his and Auron's bedroom and plopped him down on the bed.

"Are you feeling guilty, Rin?" Tidus asked. "I haven't used your guys' bed as a sick bed since I was a kid."

Rin smiled and turned the overhead fan on to a low setting. "Yes, I'm feeling guilty. Plus you need plenty of rest and our bed is the comfiest."

That was true enough. Tidus smiled slightly and snuggled Auron's pillow.

"Do you want anything to drink or eat?"

"Could I just have a glass of water please?"

"Sure." Rin nodded. "I'll be right back."

Tidus lay there on his parents' bed. The fan above created a nice breeze that soothed his hot skin. The blonde hadn't really realized how tired he was until he lay down. Tidus took a deep breath and sighed. Auron and Rin's sides of the bed smelled so different. Auron's smelled like aftershave and rain. Rin's side smelled like apples and cinnamon. Tidus scooted into the middle of the bed and got comfy.

When Rin returned a few minutes later with a glass of water Tidus was fast asleep. He set it on his nightstand and gently stroked Tidus' hair. The blonde returned to the kitchen and the phone rang. Rin sighed softly and answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey. What's going on? My secretary told me that the school called."

Oh that's right. Auron is the primary contact. They must've called him first.

"Tidus fainted at school. He's home now though. He's sleeping at the moment."

"Is he ok?" Auron asked.

"Yeah. He has a touch of the flu and the classroom was just too hot for him. The nurse said to keep him cool, give him lots of fluids, and let him rest."

"Okay. I'll come home early."

"It's ok, Auron..."

"I can hear the shiver in your tone, Rin. You're upset. I want to be there to comfort you."

"You're making me blush."

Auron chuckled. "Good. I'll see you in a few hours."

"Okay."

"Bye Rin."

"Goodbye Auron."

The two hung up and Rin sighed again.

------------------

Tidus awoke to the sound of someone coming in the front door.

"How is he?" He heard Auron ask.

"He's still sleeping. I was about to wake him for lunch. He's in our bed."

Auron chuckled softly, "Feeling guilty, Rin? We haven't had a sick kid in our bed since Tidus and Shuyin were young."

The blonde sighed heavily. "Yes I feel guilty. What if that boy hadn't left his classroom to use the restroom? He wouldn't have been there to catch Tidus and he could've fallen and hit his head..."

"But that's not what happened." Auron interrupted. "Don't worry about it and certainly don't feel guilty about it."

Tidus lightly closed his eyes when he heard footsteps approaching. Someone entered the bedroom and sighed softly. It was Auron. The man walked over and sat on the bed, shaking Tidus' shoulder gently.

"Tidus. Wake up. Rin made lunch."

Tidus "mmn"ed and yawned. He slowly opened his eyes and smiled.

"How are you feeling, kiddo?" Auron asked.

"Better."

"This move was hard on you, huh?"

"Now don't you start feeling guilty. I'm fine. I'm just coming down with something and the classroom was too hot."

Auron messed Tidus' hair and nodded. "Come have some lunch."

The man helped Tidus to his feet and into the kitchen. Rin had made soup and sandwiches for lunch. The blonde was starved, but he only ate one sandwich and his soup. He didn't want to eat too much at the moment and make himself sick for real. Once lunch was over he went back to bed. This time he cuddled Rin's pillow until he dozed off.

---------------------

Tidus slept peacefully. He didn't wake until the bed shifted.

"Hey T."

Tidus smiled sleepily at his older brother. "Hi."

Shuyin moved to lay behind Tidus and hugged him close. "You ok?"

"Yeah." The blonde smiled. "I feel much better now that I've slept and had some food."

"That's good." Shuyin pressed a kiss to Tidus' cheek. "Scared the shit out of me. Wakka told me that when you stumbled up to him you were completely white and your eyes were all glassy..."

"I'm fine now, Shu."

"Please don't get that drunk ever again." Shuyin whispered.

"Don't worry. I learned my lesson." Tidus whispered back.

Shuyin breathed a sigh of relief and hugged Tidus again.

"CJ sent your Chem homework home with me." He chuckled. "And that girl you hang out with decked Gippal for giving you so many drinks."

Tidus laughed, "That sounds like Lulu all right."

"T?"

"Mmn?"

"I think I'm in like."

"With who?"

"Lenne Ishida."

"The head cheerleader?"

"That's her."

"I saw her at Gippal's party. She's very pretty."

"Beautiful." Shuyin sighed.

Tidus smiled and gently nudged his brother in the ribs. "Remember what happened the last time you fell in like?"

"Right. Found out that she was a total cow beneath that sexy exterior."

"Just take things slow. Get to know her before you ask her out." Tidus said.

"Yes, oh sagely brother of mine." Shuyin grinned, tickling the younger blonde's sides.

Tidus laughed and squirmed away from Shuyin, sitting up. Rin walked into the room and smiled.

"Feeling better, Tidus?"

"Yes. Very much so."

"Well...why don't you get Shuyin to take you to the beach? You can get some fresh air until supper."

"That sounds like a good idea." Shuyin replied, bouncing off the bed.

The blonde laughed as Shuyin slung him over his shoulder. Rin shook his head.

"Be gentle with him, Shuyin. He isn't 100 yet."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll take care of him." Shuyin smirked, smacking Tidus on the behind.

"Ow! You jerk!" Tidus chuckled, slapping Shuyin on the shoulder.

Rin shook his head again and watched Shuyin bounce out the door, Tidus still slung over his shoulder.

"Those two are quite a pair. I don't know how we managed to get this far without killing one of them." Auron joked.

The blonde laughed and hugged Auron. "Very funny."

* * *

I can't get away from it. I always give Auron a twisted sense of humor. Oh well (shrug). R&R Please . 


	7. Ch 7: Gippal's Club

The blondes had just returned from the beach when Rin greeted them on the front stoop, handing the phone to Tidus.

"It's Lulu. She's worried about you." The man said.

Rin and Shuyin went inside while Tidus talked with Lulu.

"How are you feeling? Wakka said you looked like shit when he bumped into you."

"I feel much better now, thanks." Tidus replied. "I heard that you decked Gippal."

The teen chuckled softly. "I did, but not hard. He's fine."

"It really wasn't his fault you know. He gave me my first drink, but I was the one that went back for more…"

Tidus froze as soon as the words were out of his mouth. He half expected Rin to be standing behind him, but he wasn't. No windows were open either. Hopefully his guardian hadn't heard that…

On the other end of the phone Lulu snorted. "Still…he supplied you with the liquor to drunken yourself with."

"I can't win this debate can I?" The teen teased.

"No you cannot." Lulu laughed.

"I'll have to talk to you at school tomorrow, okay? Supper is ready."

"All right. See you tomorrow, Tidus."

"Bye Lulu."

The blonde hung the phone up and went inside. He hung it on its place on the wall then went to go sit with his family.

"You look better than you did when I came to pick you up." Rin observed. "Do you feel better?"

"Yeah. That rest and food really helped." Tidus replied.

"Good. I'm glad you're better."

"How'd you get to the school anyway?" Shuyin asked.

"How else? I took a cab."

"You know…if you need a vehicle I can leave my truck here…"

"No Shuyin, you bought that truck with your own savings. It's your truck so you should use it. I'm saving up for my own vehicle so don't you worry. I don't mind taking public transportation and cabs anyway. Makes my otherwise boring errands into an adventure."

Auron chuckled softly and kissed Rin on the cheek. "I think you'd better find a job soon, babe. It sounds like the housewife gig is making you want to implode."

The blonde grinned, "Yes…sometimes it drives me insane, but sometimes you gotta do things you aren't entirely crazy about."

"True enough." Auron nodded.

"Besides…I've been looking in the paper everyday. I'll find something eventually."

After they finished supper Rin passed out popsicles for dessert. Popsicles in hand Auron and Rin went to watch the news. Shuyin and Tidus went to their room to do their homework.

"I hate homework…" Shuyin grumbled around his mouthful of popsicle.

"That's because you have the attention span of a gnat." Tidus replied. "If you could focus then maybe you'd like homework more."

"Maybe I have ADD." The older blonde said, rolling his eyes.

"I doubt it. You're just lazy." Tidus answered with a grin.

"Screw you!" Shuyin laughed, chucking a balled-up paper at his brother's head.

The younger teen laughed and dodged the ball of paper. It bounced off their bookshelf and landed beside the wastebasket.

"Ohhh. So close…" Tidus chuckled.

"That reminds me…are you going to try out for any sports teams this year?"

"Nope."

"As usual…"

"And I bet you're going to try out for as many as your schedule will allow." The younger blonde said.

"Yup."

"As usual…"

Shuyin grimaced and chucked another paper ball at Tidus. This one bounced off the blonde's chest then rolled across the floor.

"Better pick those up before Rin sees 'em." Said Tidus.

-----------------------------------

It was sunny but windy the next morning. Tidus dressed himself in jeans with tears at the knees and a gaudy Hawaiian shirt.

"Your shirt…it's too loud…I can't sleep…" Shuyin teased, shoving his head under his pillow.

The younger blonde snorted and grabbed Shuyin's pillow off his head, whacking him with it a few times. Shuyin laughed and rolled out of bed. Once he dressed the siblings headed into the kitchen. As usual Rin was already up and making breakfast. However they were surprised to see that Auron wasn't at the table drinking coffee and reading the paper.

"Where's the old man? Still in bed?" Shuyin asked.

Rin smiled wryly at his oldest son. "No. He was called into work early. He was just leaving when I got up."

"Wow. That is amazingly early…" Tidus murmured, sitting at the table.

Rin served breakfast ten minutes later and the brothers ate hardily. They were both starving this morning.

"Glad to see you have your appetite back, Tidus." Rin said. "I guess this means you're feeling well enough to go to school?"

The blonde nodded, "My throat is a little sore, but I'll certainly live."

"That's good to hear, but if you feel worse as the day goes on don't be afraid to call me, okay?"

Tidus nodded and finished his breakfast off. Shuyin stood and carried his empty dish to the sink before turning back to Rin.

"You sure you don't want me to leave my truck?"

"I'm sure, Shuyin. You worked hard for that vehicle." Rin replied, opening the morning paper.

"Well…okay…"

Tidus stood and gathered his school things into his bag. The blondes bid good-bye to Rin and left for school.

Shuyin pulled into his regular parking spot and the brothers went their separate ways. Shuyin went to chat with Lenne, Dona, and the other popular kids. Tidus went to chat with Gippal and Baralai who were standing on the sidewalk sharing a cigarette.

"I heard Lulu smacked you around." Tidus said to Gippal.

The blonde chuckled. "Yeah, but that ain't nothin' new. It didn't hurt either. Lulu would never want to hurt someone, no matter how angry she was at them."

"Where is Lulu anyway?" Tidus asked.

"Chappu said he had to talk to her so they went for a walk around the school." Baralai answered. "They should be back soon."

"By the way, Tidus, do you want to come to a club with me 'n' Baralai tonight?" Gippal asked.

"I don't know…" The blonde replied. "I don't think I'm over my party experience yet."

"No booze this time I promise." Laughed Gippal. "Just dancing and chicks!"

"Well…okay…I guess."

"Great! Give me your address. I'll pick you up at eleven."

"I have to sneak out so you have to be really quiet…" The blonde said.

"Yeah, I know." Gippal replied.

Tidus dug his binder out of his backpack and tore a sheet of paper out of it. He wrote his address on the paper and gave it to Gippal. He sincerely hoped he wouldn't be regretting this tomorrow.

"You'll see. We'll have lots of fun!" Gippal exclaimed.

"That's what I'm afraid of." Tidus said.

Baralai laughed and Gippal rolled his eyes at his friends. Chappu and Lulu rounded the corner just as the morning bell rang. Lulu smiled and jogged up to Tidus, hugging him.

"How are you feeling?" She asked.

"Much better."

"He's going out with us tonight." Gippal grinned.

Lulu eyed Tidus slightly. "You sure that's wise?"

"I'm not going to drink even if a cute brunette offers to buy me one." Tidus vowed.

The girl chuckled and started heading inside. "Good boy."

"So what did Chappu want to talk to you about?" Tidus asked.

"He begged for forgiveness for not watching you like I asked." Lulu replied.

"And did you forgive him?"

"Eventually, yes."

"That's good, because, it wasn't really his fault you know…"

"I suppose not."

The two friends entered the school and headed for their classrooms.

The day was long and uneventful. It rained around lunch time but that was about it. Tidus was glad to be leaving school as he headed for Shuyin's truck. He stood patiently by his brother's vehicle and waited. Shuyin emerged from the school a few minutes later, talking to that girl he liked, Lenne. She was smiling and blushing as most girls did when Shuyin talked to them and Tidus smiled softly. He hoped Shuyin would get to know this girl before asking her on a date. Shuyin walked Lenne to her bus then jogged across the parking lot to Tidus.

"Hey T." He grinned.

"I know that grin…you asked her out, didn't you?"

"Nah. Well yah…but not out on a date. Just a friendly visit to get to know each other better. Apparently she likes to sing and is quite talented."

"Hmn." Tidus smiled and got into his brother's truck.

"Don't you 'hmn' me." Shuyin laughed, getting in and starting his vehicle.

"When is your 'friendly visit'?"

"This weekend. We're going surfing. You and CJ can come too if you like."

"So you won't be tempted to have a date instead of a friendly visit?" Tidus teased.

Shuyin gently punched his brother's shoulder and looked for other cars before backing out of his parking space.

"I need you to cover for me again…" Tidus said.

Shuyin drove off then looked over at his brother, smirking. "Aren't you the popular one…"

The blonde blushed, "I think my display of drinkery impressed them."

The older brother laughed. "Drinkery?"

"It's a word…" Tidus chuckled. "Even though I'm not going to do any of that tonight."

"Good." Shuyin said. "Two hangovers in two days might kill you. So where are you going?"

"Gippal invited me to a club."

"I'd watch yourself around him. I hear Gippal is quite the booze and pot fiend…"

"He's not so bad…" Tidus replied. "He can be kind of…loud at times but he's not that bad."

"Yeah well if he's three sheets to the wind you take his car keys no matter what. Even if you have to force him to hand them over."

"Yeah, I know…" Tidus murmured.

"That's my boy." Shuyin grinned, slapping Tidus on the back.

The blonde turned a corner onto their street. He pulled up onto the driveway and shut the truck off. The blondes scooped up their knapsacks and made their way inside.

"Rin! We're home!" Tidus called.

No answer. Shuyin went into the kitchen to see a note taped to the fridge:

Hello darlings! Welcome home from school. Auron is going to be putting in overtime so he's going to be home really late. I'm currently job hunting so I won't be home for supper. I'll probably be home around seven or eight. I made you supper. It's in the oven. Just turn it on to 350 degrees and let it bake for an hour. Ciao! Love: Rin.

Shuyin looked in the oven to find Rin's chicken casserole there. He turned the oven on and let it warm up.

"So what time is Gippal picking you up?" He asked.

Tidus sat at the kitchen table and dug his homework out. "Eleven."

"Auron and Rin should be home and in bed by then…"

Tidus nodded and started on his homework. The oven indicated that it was heated up and Shuyin set the timer for an hour.

"You know…even though Rin doesn't really like it he's a pretty good housewife."

The younger blonde laughed, "Don't let him hear you say that."

Shuyin grinned and sat at the table with his brother. He dug his homework out too and started in on it.

Both boys had just finished their homework when the timer rang. They ate half the casserole and put the rest in the fridge for their parents. Shuyin opened the freezer and helped himself to a popsicle for dessert.

"Want one, Tidus?"

"No thanks. "I'm going to have a nap until Rin gets home."

The blonde grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl on the counter then walked to his and Shuyin's room. Tidus sat on the bed to eat his apple then lay down. He was going to be smart this time and get some sleep before he went out so he wouldn't be so tired tomorrow. The overhead fan hummed quietly and eventually the sound soothed Tidus to sleep.

He awoke around 8:30 to the sound of Rin coming in the door. Shuyin was sitting on his bed reading comic books and listening to music.

"I'm home!" Rin called.

Tidus rolled out of bed and nudged his brother. Shuyin took his headphones off and set his comic down, following Tidus into the front hall.

"Find a job?" Shuyin asked.

"Four interviewers express interest, but none of them gave me a solid answer. It's all up in the air."

"Well I hope one of them gives you a positive answer." Tidus said.

"Thank-you." Rin smiled, kissing Tidus on the cheek. "How was your day at school, boys?"

"The usual." Shuyin replied.

"Very long but usual." Tidus added with a smile.

"No icky feelings?" Rin asked.

"Nope. None." Tidus answered.

"That's good." Rin set his portfolio down and stretched his arms over his head. "Phew. I had a long day as well."

"There's supper leftovers in the fridge." Shuyin said.

Rin nodded, "I'll wait until Auron gets home. He should be home soon."

The man didn't have to wait long. Auron was home fifteen minutes later. The couple warmed up the supper leftovers and had a nice little dinner for two. Rin was amazed at how much of the casserole Tidus and Shuyin had consumed. He'd forgotten how voracious the appetite of a teenage boy could be.

Meanwhile Shuyin was sitting on his bed and browsing through the want ads in the paper. Tidus was sitting at their computer desk, surfing the net.

"I'm thinking of getting an after school job." Shuyin said. "Y'know…for extra spending money."

"I'm lazy. I'm waiting until the summer to get a job." Tidus replied.

"You're no help." The older blonde joked.

"Sorry. What I meant was…go for it bro!"

Shuyin laughed and shot an elastic at Tidus' head.

------------------------------------

By the time eleven o'clock rolled around Tidus was quite nervous. Butterflies were flapping around in his stomach. Auron and Rin had gone to bed an hour ago and were fast asleep, but he was still worried about getting caught. Shuyin returned from his trip to the living room and nodded.

"There's a red car parked on the other side of the street with two people in it. I'm assuming they're your friends."

"Probably." Tidus nodded and hugged his brother. "Don't wait up for me."

The blonde snuck out their bedroom window and around to the front of the house. Sure enough it was Baralai and Gippal who were waiting in the parked red car. Tidus said hello to them and got in the back.

"Buckle up tight. Gippal drives like a maniac." Baralai said.

The blonde nodded, buckled up, then tightened his seatbelt. Gippal grimaced at his best friend.

"My driving isn't that bad…"

Gippal's car roared to life and he pulled a U-turn right in the middle of the street. Tidus winced. He hoped the noise didn't wake Auron and Rin up. Gippal's foot pressed down on the gas pedal and the car sped off. Tidus held onto the seat tightly. Baralai twisted around in his seat and smiled sympathetically at Tidus.

"This is why I only let him drive late at night…there's not as much traffic."

Tidus laughed somewhat and Gippal snorted indignantly. Baralai just laughed. After a fifteen minute drive Gippal turned into a parking lot and zoomed into a parking space. He slammed on the brakes so hard the tires squealed and Tidus' seatbelt locked.

If he drives like this when he's sober I can't even imagine how he would drive drunk…

Tidus shivered and exited the vehicle with his friends. Gippal turned his car alarm on and motioned for his friends to follow him to the front of the building. A large man was guarding the door and Gippal waved at him.

"Hi Gus. These two are with me."

Gus nodded, moved aside, and the trio went inside. Tidus was surprised. He expected a dark teen club with techno music and neon lights. But this…this was a high-end club with white, ivory, and silver everything. It had a dance floor where a bunch of couples were doing some kind of waltz and the bartender was decked out in a full tux.

"Don't worry, Tidus. I didn't bring you to some boring-ass club." Gippal said. "This is the parent's club."

"Oh." Tidus replied, blushing slightly.

Tidus followed Gippal and Baralai through a set of doors marked "employees only". The blonde found himself at the base of a long, winding staircase. He could hear music playing up above.

"The teen club is up here, c'mon." Gippal smirked.

The blonde nodded and followed the duo up the stairs. The music got louder and louder until he could feel the stairs vibrating beneath his feet from the noise. When they finally got to the top yet another large man was guarding the doors.

"Hello Nicholai. These two are with me."

Nicholai nodded and let them in. Tidus squinted and looked around the dark club. Now this is what he'd been expecting, booze, neon lights, and loud techno music.

"Ah! Sorry to ditch you but I see Andrea! I'll be back!" Gippal said, running off.

Baralai sighed heavily and watched Gippal run off. "He's going to be gone for a while."

"Uhm…okay…" Tidus replied. He wasn't really sure how to answer that.

The boy turned to Tidus, looked out at the dance floor, then looked back at Tidus. "So…you want to make out?"

* * *

My first cliffhanger on the new computer. Ahh…that feels good… lol! R&R Please . 


	8. Ch 8: High School Politics

Tidus stared at Baralai and his mouth dropped open slightly.

"W-what?"

"You're gay aren't you? Or bisexual at least?" Baralai smirked.

"Well…" Tidus' cheeks turned dark red. "Yeah…I'm…"

"Then…my question is valid." Baralai replied.

"I don't know…" The blonde murmured.

"Look, I don't want to start a relationship or anything. I just want to make out so I don't die of boredom."

Tidus swivelled his foot around the ground and looked out at the dance floor. "I'm sorry. I don't think so…"

"Do you mind if I go off to find someone else then?" Baralai asked. "If you don't want to be alone I can stay. We can sit and listen to the music."

"No, go ahead. I'll just dance…" Tidus replied.

Baralai nodded and patted Tidus on the shoulder. "Sorry if I scared you. I won't ask again."

The blonde watched Baralai melt into the crowd and sighed. He wrung his fingers and looked around. Gippal was sitting at the bar playing tonsil hockey with a busty redhead. With a sigh Tidus left the club.

"Uhm…Nicholai…?" He asked the bouncer outside.

"Yes kid?"

"Are…uhm…teenagers allowed downstairs in the parent's club?"

Nicholai nodded and dug a pass out of his pocket. "Put this around your neck and no one down there will hassle you."

Tidus put the pass around his neck then read it. The blue plastic card simply said "Guest of the Ibanez Family".

"Do the Ibanez's own this club?" He asked.

"What don't they own?" Nicholai replied.

With a small smile Tidus made his way downstairs. He was amazed that he couldn't even hear the music from the teen's club down here. Everything must've been sound-proofed. The blonde looked around the dance floor and watched the couples dance. Big change from the scene upstairs. As he was looking around Tidus spotted a girl about his age sitting at the bar. She rested her chin in her hand while she sipped on a Shirley Temple. The teen walked over and sat beside her. The bartender saw the "Guest of the Ibanez Family" card and practically started worshipping Tidus.

"What can I get you sir? Anything! Just name it!"

The girl looked over and Tidus and blinked in surprise at the bartender's actions. Tidus blushed and quietly replied that he'd like a soda water with lemon. The bartender made the drink so fast he almost slopped it all over. When Tidus tried to pay for the drink the man wouldn't accept his money.

"The Ibanez's insist they take care of their friends' drinks." He replied, hurrying away to attend to someone else.

"I wish I got that kind of reaction out of him." The girl beside Tidus smiled. "How do you know the Ibanez's?"

"I go to school with Gippal." Tidus replied. "My name is Tidus by the way."

"Shelinda." The girl said, extending her hand to the blonde.

Tidus shook the girl's hand and nodded.

"So why aren't you upstairs with Gippal?" Shelinda asked, taking another sip of her drink.

"I was kind of…uncomfortable upstairs so I came down here to gather my wits." The teen replied.

Shelinda nodded. "I hate it when my parents make me come here. Neither scene is really for me so I just sit here and try to get Greg's attention."

"Greg?" Tidus questioned.

Shelinda motioned towards the busy bartender. "I think he thinks I'm too young for him. He's 19."

"Do you go to Coastview High School?" Tidus asked.

The girl shook her head. "My parents wouldn't hear of it. I go to Sunset Hills Private All Girls School."

"Sounds…." Tidus trailed off.

"Snooty?" Shelinda chuckled. "It is. Believe me. I hate it there."

"You should be like Gippal and flunk out of every private school until your parents are forced to put you in public school."

Shelinda chuckled again. "I would except I really don't want blotches like that on my records. I'll just have to grin and bare it. I only have two more years after all."

"So…do you know the Ibanez family?" Tidus asked.

"Kind of…not really. My parents probably know them better. My mother is one of Mrs. Ibanez's top models and my father owns the country club in the hills."

"Wow…" Tidus murmured.

"If I didn't have the club I would probably go insane." Shelinda said. "I'm not really into the rich scene...which is quite odd because it's all I've ever known practically…"

The blonde nodded, "So what's at the club that's sanity saving? Another cute bartender?"

Shelinda laughed, "No, nothing like that. They have riding there. Riding is my life."

"I've never ridden a horse before." Tidus replied. "It looks fun though so I understand why it's so sanity preserving."

Shelinda smiled. "You'll have to come with me up to the club one weekend. I'll teach you how to ride."

Tidus blushed. "I'm not rich though…"

The teen snorted softly. "Doesn't matter. You can come as my guest. Guests don't have to purchase a membership."

"Thank-you." Tidus said softly. "Everyone in this town is so nice. Usually it's so hard for me to make friends."

Shelinda smiled warmly at him, "Just moved here, huh?"

"Yes." Tidus nodded.

"Well…not everyone is nice but most people are." The girl said.

"Like everywhere else." Tidus smiled.

Shelinda chuckled softly and nodded. The girl finished her drink off and looked over at the dance floor.

"Want to dance?" She asked.

Tidus took another sip of his water and nodded. "Sure."

Tidus and Shelinda danced and drank soda water until Gippal and Baralai finally came downstairs. Gippal stumbled along, obviously quite drunk. Baralai looked sober but Tidus could tell he was buzzed.

"I should go before one of them gets behind the wheel." He said to Shelinda.

"You better." The girl agreed, watching them go by.

"Really. We should make another entrance for the teen's club…" A woman said in a snooty tone.

Both Tidus and Shelinda laughed softly. The blonde waved to his new friend as he left the club, following his two friends.

"If you were bored you should've come and found me." Baralai said. "You didn't have to go downstairs into dull land."

"It's all right. I had a fun time with Shelinda." Tidus replied.

"Who?"

"That girl I was with. Now…where are Gippal's keys?"

"I've got them." A man said, walking up behind Tidus.

"Who are you?" Tidus asked.

Baralai laughed softly. "This is obviously your first time here, Tidus. This club has its own designated drivers."

"Oh…"

Baralai put Gippal in the passenger seat and buckled him in before climbing into the backseat. Smiling nervously at the designated driver Tidus climbed in the backseat as well.

"Okay…who lives the closest?" The man asked, getting behind the wheel.

"Baralai, Tidus, then me…" Gippal replied.

The driver nodded and started the car. Tidus barely had his seatbelt done up when the man threw the car in reverse and sped out of the parking lot.

Gippal laughed. "This is why I always ask for Javier. He drives like I do…"

Tidus just held onto the seat for dear life and restrained himself from screaming like a little girl. Javier drove much wilder than Gippal did. Even though he had nothing to drink Tidus felt a little queasy by the time they dropped Baralai off.

"See you two at school tomorrow." He said, closing the door and walking up his front walk.

Tidus clung harder to the seat as Javier sped off again.

"Uhm…you have to drive quietly around my house. My parents don't know I'm out…" Tidus said.

Javier nodded and slowed down considerably. Tidus resisted the urge to sigh with relief. He nearly kissed the ground when he got out of the car at his house.

"See you tomorrow, Gippal."

"Goodnight." The teen replied, smiling drunkenly.

Tidus backed away from the car and watched it speed off. He winced at all the noise, hoping that Auron and Rin hadn't been awakened. The porch light remained off and Tidus snuck into his bedroom. Shuyin was fast asleep, nearly falling out of bed. Tidus moved his brother to a more stable position then changed into some pajamas. With a tired sigh the blonde jumped into bed and fell asleep almost instantly.

--------------------------------------

"I heard Baralai propositioned you." Lulu chided as they made their way to class the following morning.

Tidus blushed and shook his head. "Yeah…"

"And I hear you turned him down." The girl's grin widened.

"Yes…"

"All the girls would think you're insane for doing so." Paine reported. "Most of them would give their left eyeball to kiss Baralai."

"But he's never really been interested in girls." Lulu smirked.

Paine snorted. "We all know who he really wants…"

Tidus just looked from girl to girl, his eyes growing wider with every new tidbit of information.

"Who…does he want?" The blonde finally asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Paine answered. "He wants Gippal."

"But Gippal is either an oblivious straight or an oblivious bisexual." Lulu added. "He's always chasing skirt and popping cherries."

"Total cherry hound…" The other girl nodded.

"Why are we even friends with him?" Lulu asked. "I should kick his ass for breaking freshman hearts…"

"We should…" Paine agreed.

As if on cue Gippal strolled by with Rikku on his arm, Baralai walking behind them looking wry as usual.

"Somehow…I have trouble believing that one is a virgin…" Paine commented, looking Rikku's short pink sundress over.

Lulu snorted softly, "Now Paine, don't judge a book by its cover. It's the in thing to look like a prosti-tot. I bet she's a shy by willing virgin like the rest of the girls Gippal dates."

"Prosti-tot…that's good…" The silver-haired girl smirked.

Tidus just listened to his friend's gossip and nodded once in a while. He figured it wasn't a good idea to put in his two cents right now. The final bell rang and the trio hurried to class.

"So what are you doing this weekend?" Lulu asked while the teacher dictated notes.

"Going surfing with my brother, his friend, and CJ." Tidus replied.

"CJ?"

"Clasko Jr. Shuyin and I met him after school started. He's in the tenth grade."

"Well aren't you Mr. Popular." The girl smirked.

Tidus blushed. "Not really. The people in this town are just nice."

"I'm not nice." Lulu teased.

"You bought lunch for me on the first day…nah…you're not nice." Tidus teased back.

The two shared a chuckle and the teacher gave them a dirty look. They laughed softly again and continued to write their notes. As he was writing a thought suddenly occurred to Tidus. He stopped writing and stared at his paper. Lulu knew that Baralai had asked him to make out. Does that mean she now knew he was gay?

"What's wrong?" Lulu whispered in his ear.

Tidus blinked and pulled himself out of his thoughts. He chewed on his lower lip nervously as he wrote a note to Lulu on a divider in her binder:

Since you know about…the thing with Baralai…does that mean you know I'm…

Lulu smiled kindly and wrote back on Tidus' divider:

No shit I know, Tidus. But I don't care. Yah love who you love.

The blonde smiled, clearly relieved, and went back to writing his notes. He didn't even notice that Lulu had written him another note until the class was over:

I don't care, but others might. They also may care more because you hang out with Gippal and I. Even though Gip is popular it's only because he throws wicked parties and sells them weed. They don't actually respect him.

"What about you?" Tidus asked once they were out in the hallway.

"What about me?" Lulu replied.

"In your note you said 'Gippal and I'. What's wrong with you?"

"They don't like Lulu because she's a cynical goth." Paine answered for her friend. "If you're not rich and preppy you're not human in their eyes."

"They're not all like that though." Lulu amended. "Wakka, Lenne, and Yuna are actually nice."

"True." Paine nodded.

Tidus nodded too. Having friends was sort of complicated. He honestly had no idea that high school was like this. That people didn't like you just because of how you dressed or who your friends were. It was…well…crazy.

"I suppose befriending a freshman and a private school girl isn't a good move either." The blonde grinned.

Lulu laughed and ruffled her friend's hair. "No probably not, but that's ok. We don't care."

* * *

Poor naïve Tidus… XD;; R&R Please . 


	9. Ch 9: The Weekend Begins

Tidus was walking to Shuyin's truck when someone grabbed his backpack and yanked him backwards. The blonde stumbled back and would've fallen had the person let go of his backpack. He swallowed nervously as he came face-to-face with the people Lulu had told him to avoid: Dona and Barthello.

"Look at this, Dona. I caught me a faerie." Barthello smirked.

Tidus looked around the parking lot for his brother or one of his friends. Just his luck…there was no one he knew around.

"Do I get three wishes, Mr. Faerie?" Barthello continued to mock.

"Please, just leave me alone." Tidus replied meekly.

Dona laughed and Barthello whipped the blonde around by his backpack again. Tidus could feel the tears building up but he refused to let them fall.

"Hey! Cut that out!"

All three teens looked up to see a frowning Wakka approaching them.

"Leave him alone, Barthello."

Barthello released Tidus and gave him a little shove. The blonde tripped and fell heavily against someone's car, banging his hip against it.

"We were just having a little fun, Wakka." Dona said.

"Yeah well he don't look like he's havin' fun." Wakka replied, helping Tidus straighten up. "You ok?"

Tidus nodded and rubbed his sore hip.

"You're no fun, Wakka. You need to lighten up." Dona half-sneered.

"If you keep yappin' you'll miss your bus." Wakka answered.

"Come on, Dona. Let's go." Barthello said.

Barthello joined hands with his girlfriend and the pair walked off to find their bus.

"You sure you're ok 'n' all?" The tall redhead asked.

If he spoke Tidus was sure he'd burst into tears so the blonde just nodded.

"Where's your brother's truck? I'll wait with you until he shows up."

Tidus half-turned and pointed at Shuyin's vehicle before limping off. His hip ached something fierce. Wakka leaned against Shuyin's truck and folded his arms.

"This is a really nice truck."

"M-hm." Tidus quietly agreed.

All the buses had left by the time Shuyin arrived. He frowned when he saw Wakka standing there with Tidus.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"One of the guys was pickin' on him." Wakka responded. "I just stood here with him and made sure that no one else picked on him."

Shuyin's frown deepened and he walked over to Tidus, hugging him.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here, T. The teacher kept me after the bell to explain something. Are you ok?"

"It's ok. I just…my hip is bruised." Tidus replied softly, hugging Shuyin back.

Shuyin broke the embrace and ruffled his little brother's hair. "Thanks for staying with him, Wakka. Want a lift home since you missed your bus?"

"That would be nice, yah." Wakka replied, nodding.

Shuyin hugged his brother again then they all got in the truck, Wakka in the back seat, and drove off.

"Why was he picking on you, Tidus?" Shuyin asked.

Tidus winced and held the seatbelt away from his sore hip. "My 'secret' is out."

"Hmn." Shuyin nodded. "Guess I'll be getting in a lot of fights again."

"Me too, eh?" Wakka grinned.

The younger blonde just blushed and said nothing. Shuyin chuckled and patted his brother's knee.

"Don't worry, Tidus. People at our old schools knew not to fuck with you and the people at this school will know it too soon enough. You'll survive."

Tidus nodded but said nothing. He always felt bad knowing that he was the cause of 95 of his brother's fights. The next twenty minutes passed in silence. Shuyin pulled up into Wakka's driveway. Chappu was lazing on the front porch eating a popsicle and "reading" a ladies swimsuit magazine. He waved to Tidus but didn't get up.

"What a lazy little bugger…" Wakka chuckled, shaking his head. "Thanks for the ride, Shuyin. Stay cool, Tidus."

"No problem." Shuyin replied.

Tidus nodded at Wakka and the redhead exited the truck. He gently smacked Chappu upside the head as he walked by him.

"Get off your ass and ask mom what you can do for her!" He ordered.

Tidus chuckled and Shuyin pulled out of the driveway, heading back out.

"Hey…do you mind if we stop at Ickles Ice-cream Shop?" Shuyin asked as they drove along.

"No. Why?"

The older sibling grinned. "Lenne works there after school."

The blonde laughed and shook his head, "I should've known."

They drove into the downtown area and pulled into the parking lot of one of the smaller strip malls. Just as they pulled into a parking space Lenne emerged from her car a few spaces away. Tidus giggled. The girl was wearing a pink "nurse" dress, pink sneakers, and a pink ball cap with a fake ice-cream cone perched on top of it.

"What a humiliating uniform. Poor Lenne…" Shuyin murmured, watching the girl lock her car and walk inside.

"I think she looks cute in it." Tidus chuckled. "You should get a job here, Shu. Then you and Lenne can be cone heads together…"

Shuyin glared at his brother then pounced on and tickled him. Tidus laughed and tried to fight Shuyin off.

"Okay, okay!" He laughed. "I take it back!"

"That's a good boy." Shuyin grinned, unbuckling his seat belt and getting out of the truck.

Tidus righted himself then unbuckled his seatbelt and left the truck.

"You're mean, Shuyin." He grinned.

"I'll buy you an ice-cream and make up for it."

Shuyin locked his vehicle and they made their way to the ice-cream store, Tidus limping the whole way.

"Still sore?" Shuyin asked with a frown.

Tidus nodded and opened the door for his brother. The two blondes went inside to see Lenne and her male co-worker dispensing ice-cream. The male worker wore dark blue instead of pink but his uniform was still as plain and humiliating as Lenne's. Shuyin and his brother walked up to the counter. Lenne blushed when she looked up and saw them.

"Who told you I work here?" She asked.

"Letty." Shuyin replied with a smirk.

"I'm going to kill him." Lenne muttered under her breath.

"Lenne, this is my brother Tidus. He's one of the people coming surfing with us this weekend."

"Hi Tidus." Lenne smiled.

"Hello Lenne." Tidus returned the smile.

The co-worker gave Lenne a disapproving look and the brunette blushed a deeper red.

"Welcome to Ickles. What can I get you today?" The girl asked, still blushing.

"I'll have a single scoop of chocolate with caramel drizzled on top." Shuyin replied, still smirking. "Tidus?"

"Double scoop of chocolate cherry, please."

Lenne nodded and scooped their ice-cream into two waffle cones. She topped Shuyin's with caramel and handed the blondes their ice-creams.

"That'll be $5.35 please." She said, ringing their purchase up on the cash register.

Shuyin paid for the ice-creams and both blondes bid farewell to Lenne before leaving the store.

"She seems nice." Tidus said in between licks of his ice-cream. "She was blushing the whole time."

"Yeah I know. She just likes me that much." Shuyin grinned.

Tidus snorted and laughed. They got in Shuyin's truck again and headed for home.

"Don't tell Rin what happened, okay?" Tidus said. "I don't want him to worry."

"All right." The older teen nodded. "I won't tell."

The teens were done their ice-creams by the time they reached home. They both kissed Rin on the cheek before going to their room to do their "homework".

Tidus unbuttoned his shorts and slid them down off his injured hip. Shuyin winced and sucked air in through his teeth as the huge red and purple bruise came into sight.

"That asshole." He muttered. "You're banged up pretty good."

"I noticed." Tidus replied, righting his shorts and zipping them up again.

"Well the good news is it should be healed enough by the weekend that you can still go surfing." Shuyin grinned.

The younger teen chuckled and nodded. "That is good news."

Shuyin poked his head out of the bedroom then looked at Tidus. "Rin is outside. You hang tight here and I'll get you an ice pack."

Tidus nodded and his older brother left the room. The blonde picked their phone up and dialled Clasko's number. The brunette answered on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Hi Clasko, it's Tidus."

"Hey Tidus. How are you?"

"I'm good. Listen, do you want to come surfing this weekend with me, my brother, and one of his friends?"

"Sure! Sounds great!"

Tidus told Clasko their address and what time to meet them. They had just hung up when Shuyin came back with Tidus' ice pack.

"Thank-you." The blonde said, lying down on the bed.

"You're welcome."

Shuyin handed the pack to Tidus then went to sit at the computer. Tidus opened his shorts and set the pack on his hip.

"Ah! Cold!"

-----------------------------------------

By the time the weekend rolled around Tidus' nasty bruise had faded and the pain had ebbed into a tiny sting. It was now Saturday morning and the brothers were getting ready to go surfing. Tidus, clad in just his orange swim trunks, was in the kitchen making a lunch. Shuyin was on the phone with Lenne.

"Hmmn…" Rin inspected the lunch Tidus was making. "Don't want to eat my cooking?"

Tidus chuckled, "We're not surfing here, Rin. Lenne said she wants to show us a really awesome spot."

"Ah, I see." The man smiled. "Oh, Auron and I are going to look at a vehicle for me so we might not be home when you get home."

"Okay. Have fun." Tidus replied.

"Oh we will." Auron smirked as he entered the kitchen.

Shuyin hung up the phone and walked over to Tidus. "Lenne gave me her address. We can drive over there and then follow her to the spot she wants to show us."

Tidus nodded, "Clasko should be here soon."

As if on cue the doorbell rang. Rin went to answer it and let Clasko in. Once introductions were made the three boys said goodbye to Auron and Rin. They put Clasko's board in the truck bed with Tidus and Shuyin's boards then strapped them down.

"Do you mind if we put the picnic basket in the back with you?" Tidus asked.

"Nope." Clasko replied.

The brunette got in the backseat and Tidus set the basket of food next to him.

"Who else is coming?" The brunette asked.

"Lenne Ishida." Tidus replied, buckling himself in. "Do you know her?"

"Nope." Clasko shook his head.

"She's a girl that Shuyin liiiiikes." The younger blonde chuckled.

"Oh shut up." Shuyin replied, giving his brother a gentle shove.

Shuyin pulled out of the driveway and they headed to Lenne's house. When they pulled up Lenne was waiting on the front stoop. Shuyin and Clasko's eyes widened. Lenne was wearing a purple bikini and sarong. She smiled and waved as the boys approached. Shuyin unrolled the window as she approached the truck.

"Are you boys ready to go?" She asked.

"Sure thing." Shuyin grinned. "The guy in the back is Clasko by the way. We call him CJ."

Lenne leaned into the truck and smiled at Clasko, "Hi CJ."

"Hello." Clasko replied, his voice breaking a bit.

Lenne giggled and headed for her car. She hopped in, started her vehicle, and pulled out of the driveway. The blonde put his truck in gear and followed Lenne down the road.

"She's really pretty." Clasko said.

"Yeah…" Shuyin sighed dreamily.

"Purple is a nice color on her." Was all Tidus said.

Shuyin chuckled and elbowed his brother again. Clasko clasped his hands in his lap. He wondered if he should really ask this…

"Tidus?"

"Yeah?"

"Uhm…can I ask you about something I heard around school?"

"Sure."

"Is it true that you're…gay?"

"Yes."

Shuyin looked in the rearview mirror at Clasko. The brunette didn't seem uncomfortable or angry.

"Ah, that's cool." He finally replied. "I was just wondering if it was true or not. Sorry if I offended you by asking."

"It's ok." Tidus replied with a smile. "I wasn't offended."

Shuyin made a left onto a gravel road, following Lenne's car.

"This must be a secluded place…" Shuyin said.

Tidus nodded, turned the radio on, and opened his window. Clasko leaned back in his seat and enjoyed the wind on his face. They bounced along the gravel road for nearly thirty minutes before Shuyin made another turn onto a bumpier road.

"Wow. We're really out in the hills…" Clasko said.

"It's so pretty out here…" Tidus murmured, watching the scenery go by.

Up, down, and around the hills they went. They made a few more twists and turns and pretty soon the road had turned into just two ruts.

"Wow. How long have we been on the road?" Clasko asked. "It's hot back here!"

Shuyin closed the windows and turned the air conditioner on. "We've been driving for almost an hour. We'll probably get there soon."

Just as Shuyin had predicted they soon saw a beach come into their view.

"Wow. Nice." Tidus remarked.

"Yeah. It's got white sand." Clasko added. "That's rare here."

"Worth the drive." Shuyin smirked. "We're going to have a lot of fun."

* * *

I used to know someone who had to wear Lenne's uniform to work XD;; R&R Please . 


	10. Ch 10: Blushing Virgins

"Wow…" Shuyin murmured, emerging from his truck. "This is a really nice spot."

Tidus exited the truck and went to get their surfboards. Clasko emerged from the backseat, picnic basket in hand.

"Isn't this a great spot?" Lenne asked as he exited her car.

"Yeah." Shuyin nodded. "Really nice. Thanks for showing us."

"No problem."

Shuyin went to help Tidus get the surfboards and Lenne unstrapped hers from her car. Surfboards ready the group headed for the beach. They spread their towels out in the shade with the picnic basket. Shuyin and Clasko nearly drooled when Lenne removed her sarong. Tidus just rolled his eyes at them.

"I bought my own wax." Clasko piped up, pulling the wax container from his pocket. "It's Grape."

"Same flavor as mine." Lenne smiled.

Clasko flushed, Shuyin pouted, and Tidus giggled. Lenne just laughed softly and started checking her board over, making sure it was ready to go. The others did the same and soon they were out surfing the waves. Shuyin and Lenne surfed together while Tidus stuck by Clasko and made sure the brunette didn't drown when he wiped out. Clasko had improved since the last time they surfed together but he still wiped out quite a bit. Tidus could tell that Clasko was embarrassed about wiping out so much in front of a girl he was trying to impress but Lenne was nice about it, often shouting encouragement to the boy when he fell off his board.

After a while Clasko got tired of falling into the drink and headed for shore. Tidus decided to follow Clasko and keep the brunette company. Shuyin and Lenne were sitting on their boards for the time being, just letting the waves push them around.

"Lenne…there's something I have to tell you." Shuyin said. "Something…that you have to be okay with if we're gonna be friends."

Lenne frowned, slightly wary about what Shuyin had to say. "Okay…what is it?"

"Tidus, my little brother, is gay."

The girl laughed, "Is that all? Geez Shuyin…the way you were talking I thought you were going to tell me you'd killed someone!"

"So…you're okay with it?" Shuyin asked, blushing slightly.

"If I can like guys why can't he?" Lenne replied. "Of course I'm okay with it. His sexuality is honestly none of my business anyway."

The blonde smiled sheepishly, "Sorry for freaking you out but…a lot of people in our past haven't been so accepting of him. Even some of the ones that seemed they would be accepting weren't…"

Lenne smiled sadly, "Yeah…I understand."

"But what are we sitting around discussing this for? Let's surf!"

Lenne laughed and nodded. She and Shuyin started to paddled out to catch waves. At that moment Tidus had just reached shore. Clasko had moved his towel into the sun and was watching Shuyin and Lenne surf. Tidus smiled softly and went to pull his towel into the sun as well before sitting beside Clasko.

"It's official…" he sighed, "…I can't compete with your brother."

"Well…even if Lenne is just interested in Shuyin there are plenty of other girls out there."

"Yeah…you're right." Clasko nodded, a small smile on his face.

Tidus smiled and lay back on his towel, stretching his arms over his head.

"The sun feels really nice…" He murmured.

"Oh crap! If forgot to put sunscreen on before I left the house…!" Clasko muttered.

Tidus chuckled and sat up. "Shuyin and I brought some waterproof stuff. I'll get it."

Clasko sighed and hung his head, "Just when I thought I was all responsible and wouldn't have to mooch off people…"

The blonde laughed softly, stood up, and walked over to Shuyin's bag to get the sunscreen.

"You're not mooching, Clasko. Your just borrowing. It's no big deal."

Tidus got the bottle of sun block out of Shuyin's bag and went to sit by Clasko. He gave the bottle to the brunette and smiled.

"Can you put some on my back?" Clasko asked.

Tidus nodded. Clasko opened the sun block bottle and squirted some of the lotion into Tidus' hands. The blonde rubbed his hands together before he started rubbing Clasko's back. The brunette squirted the sun block onto his arms and started massaging it in.

"You have such fair skin…" Tidus said, spreading the sun block over the back of Clasko's neck and shoulders.

"Yeah I know. I burn easily. Good thing you brought sun block."

Tidus finished putting the sun block on Clasko's back and wiped the excess on his own arms, rubbing it in. Clasko soon finished slathering himself in suntan lotion and handed the bottle back to Tidus.

"Thanks again." Clasko said.

"You're welcome." Tidus replied, closing the bottle and returning it to Shuyin's bag.

The two boys watched Shuyin and Lenne surf again. Lenne was a better surfer than Clasko but she still wasn't as practiced as Shuyin and Tidus. Once they were thoroughly sun baked the two teens decided to go back in the water. They grabbed their boards and headed back out into the water to surf.

It was nearly one in the afternoon when Shuyin's stomach growled loudly. The teen looked at his watch then motioned to his friends.

"You guys want to go in and have lunch?" He asked.

"Yeah!" The three called back in unison.

They headed to shore and stuck their boards upright in the sand. Shuyin rubbed his stomach and grinned.

"I'm starving…" He said.

"Me too." Tidus replied, gathering the picnic basket.

The teens all moved their towels into the sun and Tidus put the food in the middle of their towels. They sat down and opened the picnic basket. Tidus looked through their small cooler of sandwiches and drinks while Shuyin pulled the veggies, chips, and cookies out of the basket. They all talked as they ate their lunch. Tidus was quite impressed with Lenne. She included everyone in her conversation, not just the guy she had a crush on. Once lunch was over Shuyin and Lenne went to surf again. Clasko hadn't build up much upper body strength so he was done surfing for the time being. His chest and arms were aching. His legs ached too but not as badly as his upper body did. Tidus chuckled softly as Clasko groaned and lay down on his towel.

"Paddling out there really takes a lot out of you." The blonde said. "But once you build up some strength it won't be as bad."

Clasko just nodded and groaned again, rolling onto his side.

"I recommend buying some of that Icy/Hot stuff. It works well on sore muscles."

"I'll keep that in mind." Clasko replied with a small chuckle.

"You probably shouldn't be laying down right now. You might get painful muscle cramps. Let's go for a short walk."

Tidus stood and offered his hand to Clasko. The brunette took it and Tidus helped his friend to his feet.

"We're going for a walk!" Tidus shouted to his brother.

"Okay!" Shuyin called back.

Tidus smiled at Clasko and the pair started walking down the beach. It was a really nice day. There were no clouds in the sky and the sun was shining. It was hot but once in awhile a nice breeze would blow and cool them off.

"Hey Tidus…"

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever kissed…a guy?"

Tidus blushed somewhat, "No."

"A girl?"

"No. I haven't kissed anyone at all. Have you?"

Clasko shook his head, "No. I came close once last year…but I chickened out."

"That girl you told me about before? The one that moved away?"

"Yeah." The brunette nodded.

"I came kind of close too but…I didn't really have the desire to kiss him."

"Who was it?" Clasko asked.

"Baralai. He's that silver-haired guy that I hang out with."

"He's pretty cute."

Tidus chuckled, "Yeah but he just wanted to make out because he was bored. I kind of want my first kiss to be with someone who wants to kiss me y'know?"

"Yeah. That makes sense." Clasko nodded.

"If you could kiss anyone you wanted who would it be?" Tidus asked.

"Hmn…" The brunette pondered that over. "Probably…Lenne or Rikku. Rikku is this really cute blonde in my English class. I think she's going out with Gippal though."

"Well…she's kind of going out with Gippal. I don't know how long it will last."

"Who would you kiss?" The younger teen wanted to know.

"Baralai or maybe…Wakka…Wakka is pretty cute."

Clasko smirked when a slight blush streaked across Tidus' nose. "I think I remember Wakka. He's on the blitz team. Tall, redheaded guy?"

"Yeah. That's him. He kind of helped me out when someone was picking on me."

"Oooh. A hero type." Clasko teased.

Tidus laughed and gave Clasko a gentle push. The two teens didn't walk far. Neither one knew the area and they didn't want to get lost.

"Hey look…" Clasko pointed at a jumble of rocks that extended out into the water. "That one on the end there looks like a walrus."

"It does…!" Tidus laughed. "Neat."

The two teens stood there and admired the walrus-shaped rock for a few more moments before turning around and heading back towards Shuyin and Lenne.

"You too." Clasko said as they were walking along.

"What?" Tidus blinked.

"I would…kiss you too." The brunette said. "I was going to add that onto my earlier answer, but I got sidetracked by thoughts of Rikku."

Tidus laughed softly, "That's all right."

"Would you…uhm…kiss me too?"

The blonde smiled, "Yes. If you really wanted me to."

"You wouldn't mind?"

"No." Tidus shook his head. "I said I wanted my first kiss to be with someone who wants to kiss me...and you'd want to right?"

"Right."

"So there you go." The blonde grinned. "If you want to we will."

"I don't really know how…" Clasko admitted, cheeks coloring slightly.

"Me either."

"My brother told me to practice kissing on my hand…"

Tidus laughed, "I tried that once but I felt like an idiot so I stopped."

Clasko laughed too, "That makes two of us."

"Would you like to uhm…kiss now?"

The brunette blushed and scratched the back of his head. "No. I have to psych myself up first."

Tidus chuckled and nodded, "Okay. I understand. Let me know when you're ready."

"All right."

Once the teens made it back to where Shuyin and Lenne were the two had come onto shore again.

"You two gave me an idea." Lenne said as they walked up. "Want to go for a little hike?"

"I don't know." Tidus replied. "It's getting late and we didn't pack supper."

"I did." The girl smiled, "I didn't know how long we planned to be out here."

"I told Rin we'd be back around nine or ten…" Shuyin said.

"Well…in that case…a hike sounds fine." Tidus replied with a smile.

"Actually…I told my dad I'd be home for seven." Clasko spoke up, blushing somewhat.

Lenne smiled and went to her bag, pulling her cell phone from it. "That's all right. Call and ask him if you can stay longer. If not we can all go hiking another day."

Clasko nodded and wandered off with Lenne's mobile for some privacy. Lenne took her ponytail elastic out, wrung the water from her long hair, then tied her hair back up in a ponytail. Shuyin was somewhat staring off into space and Tidus elbowed him. The older blonde chuckled and elbowed Tidus back.

A few minutes later Clasko returned and handed Lenne her phone back.

"My dad says I can stay." He said, smiling.

"Great!" Lenne chirped.

"Should we just leave our stuff on the beach?" Tidus asked.

"We should lock it in the truck just to be safe." Shuyin replied.

After everyone dug a bottled water out of their stuff they carried the remainder to their vehicles to lock it in. Lenne had troubles getting her car top up but Clasko helped her. She was quite impressed with him. Tidus giggled softly when Shuyin shot a glare of jealousy at Clasko's back. Once their stuff was locked up, their surfboards hidden, and their supper ready to go Lenne led them down a trail into the trees. As they walked Lenne pointed out flowers, wildlife, and many other things. Tidus was surprised to see that Shuyin was actually listening and paying attention to the girl.

Lenne should be a teacher. Shuyin would be able to pay attention then… Tidus chuckled to himself.

As if he heard Tidus' thoughts Shuyin shot his brother a subtle glare before continuing to walk. That just made Tidus laugh. Clasko looked at his blonde friend, slightly puzzled. Lenne glanced over her shoulder at Tidus then gave Shuyin a "wtf?" look. Shuyin just grinned and shrugged.

"What can I say? Tidus is weird." He teased.

"Hmph." Tidus snorted, giving his brother a gentle push.

Lenne and Clasko shook their heads and they continued their hike.

"How are you doing?" Tidus asked Clasko.

"Still pretty sore but walking is helping. I bet I'm going to be sore tomorrow though…"

The blonde chucked almost evilly, "If you can get out of bed tomorrow I'll be surprised."

"Thanks Tidus. That is really reassuring." The brunette laughed.

"You're welcome."

At the beginning of their hike they had been quite hot but the further they went into the trees the more sun was blocked out. Tidus took another sip of his water and rubbed the back of his neck. He was going to be sore tomorrow too. They had been hiking for over two hours when Shuyin's stomach growled loudly. Lenne giggled and looked at her watch. It was almost five-thirty p.m.

"Well if we hike any further we'll need camping gear. How about we have supper somewhere around here then head back?" She suggested.

Everyone agreed and they searched around for a decent spot to eat. Tidus found a small clearing and everyone sat down to eat. Shuyin shrugged Lenne's heavy pack off his shoulders and set it in the middle of them. Lenne looked apologetically at Shuyin and pulled a mini cooler from the pack. The teen just smiled. He hadn't minded carrying supper around. Lenne smiled back and opened the cooler. She pulled out chicken sandwiches, some salad, chocolate cake, cold fried potatoes, and lemonade. Everyone took their share and started to eat.

"So CJ…what grade are you in?" Lenne asked, taking a bite of her sandwich.

"Ten…but I take some grade eleven courses for a head start next year."

"Ah so you're smart, huh?"

Clasko blushed, "N-not really. It's just a family tradition to graduate early. I kind of…have to uphold the tradition."

"But still…you have to be smarter than some Gr. 10s if you're taking Gr. 11 courses."

"Y-yeah…I guess." The brunette tried to think of something to ask Lenne. "How long have you been surfing?"

"Just over two years." She replied. "I didn't really get into surfing until I hit high school."

"And why is that?" Shuyin asked, sipping his lemonade.

"I wanted to impress a boy." Lenne admitted, smiling sheepishly.

"Did it work?" Tidus wanted to know.

"No." The girl laughed softly. "Once I got into it he decided he didn't want to date a surfer girl."

"Ouch." Clasko said.

Lenne shrugged, "I got over it. So how long have you been surfing, Shuyin? You and Tidus are really good."

"Since we were kids." Shuyin replied.

"Their mom was Maya Spardas." Clasko blurted out.

"Really?"

"Yeah." Tidus nodded.

"Wow. That's neat."

Shuyin and Tidus just smiled and nodded.

"What was she like?" Lenne asked.

Shuyin froze in mid-bite and looked up at Tidus. The younger blonde swallowed hard.

"She was a wonderful woman." He replied quietly. "Very talented on the waves and a loving mother."

Clasko smiled softly and patted Tidus on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry." The girl said, blushing. "I shouldn't have asked…"

"It's all right." Tidus replied with a weak smile. "Talking about my mother does make me sad but…at the same time it makes me happy."

Lenne nodded and reached across, squeezing Tidus' shoulder. "I can't say I understand exactly what you feel but I sort of know. My father died when I was really young and I'm very isolated from my sister because of my mother's hatred for Braska. I only get to see Yuna at school and I never see Braska."

"I'm sorry, Lenne. That sucks." Shuyin said.

Clasko nodded his agreement to Shuyin's statement and Lenne smiled lightly.

"Thanks guys."

Tidus wrapped his arms around Lenne's neck, pulling her into a hug. The girl was shocked at first but then she hugged Tidus back. She hadn't even realized that she had needed a hug until Tidus had embraced her. Shuyin and Clasko exchanged "lucky guy" looks and Tidus let Lenne go.

"Thank-you, Tidus. I needed that." The girl smiled.

"You're welcome."

The group finished eating their supper and put all their garbage back in the cooler before closing it. Shuyin put the cooler back into the knapsack then put it on again.

"All right. Let's get going."

Everyone walked a bit slower as they headed back to their vehicles. They didn't want to walk to fast since they were still digesting. As they walked Shuyin pointed out everything Lenne had on their hike into the woods. She 'rewarded' him once in awhile with a laugh and a pat on the shoulder.

"If Lenne were a teacher Shuyin would be an A student…" Tidus whispered to Clasko.

The brunette chuckled and nodded. Shuyin and Lenne looked over their shoulders at the two laughing teens briefly.

"I think your brother likes CJ." Lenne murmured.

"Yeah maybe." Shuyin replied.

They continued their walk mostly in silence. It was nearly eight-thirty when they reached the beach. Shuyin put Lenne's pack in her car and they decided to go for one last swim before leaving.

"Tidus…?" Clasko watched Shuyin and Lenne dive into the ocean.

"Yeah?"

"I'm…ready."

"For a kiss?"

"Yes."

"All right."

Tidus looked around then took Clasko by the hand. He led the brunette round to the front of Shuyin's truck where they wouldn't be spotted. They were both blushing. When they saw the other was blushing they shared a small laugh.

"Yup. We're the typical blushing virgins…" Clasko laughed.

Tidus nodded and chuckled. Their laughter slowly died down and Tidus wrapped his arms loosely around his friend's neck, pulling him close. Clasko's arms wrapped around the blonde's waist. They both laughed again lightly. Once their nervous laughter tapered off Tidus leaned up, pressing his lips to his friend's.

**To be continued…**

* * *

Nyawww…first kisses all around… X3 (I'm a sap). R&R Please . 


	11. Ch 11: It's Good to Have Friends

After a while Clasko and Tidus slowly broke apart.

"So…? How was your fist kiss?" Clasko asked with a shy smile on his face.

"It was great." Tidus replied, returning the smile. "Yours?"

"Excellent. Everything I imagined."

"That's good."

"So…now what do we do?"

"I don't know." Tidus replied. "What would you like?"

"Is it…okay if we just stay friends?"

"Of course. I didn't expect anything but a first kiss from you, CJ."

"Phew. Good. But…could we like practice on each other if we say…lose confidence in ourselves?"

Tidus smiled, "Certainly. We'll be friends with kissing benefits. Sound good?"

Clasko chuckled, "Definitely."

The blonde released Clasko and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Clasko smirked and ruffled Tidus' hair gently. The two teens were making sure they had everything packed up and ready to go when Shuyin and Lenne came walking up the beach.

"All right. Are we ready to head home?" Shuyin asked.

"Yup. We're ready to go." Tidus replied.

"We'll say goodbye here since we're going separate ways when we reach town." Lenne said.

Shuyin nodded and gave Lenne a little wave, "Bye Lenne. See you in school on Monday if not sooner."

"Yeah." The girl replied with a smile. "Bye Shuyin. See you later Tidus…CJ."

"See you, Lenne." Tidus and Clasko said in unison.

Everyone climbed into their respective vehicles and buckled up. Lenne drove off first so Shuyin could follow her back to town. Clasko yawned and leaned back into his seat. He was already starting to feel sore.

"So did you two have fun?" Shuyin asked.

"Yup." Tidus nodded.

"M-hm." Clasko replied with another yawn.

The ride back was fairly quiet. Everyone was tired.

"Good thing it's Sunday tomorrow. I don't think I could make it to school tomorrow." Clasko said.

Shuyin chuckled softly, "Yeah. Just wait and see how sore you are tomorrow morning."

"I can't wait."

Shuyin and Tidus laughed. Clasko just smirked and snuggled back against the seat, closing his eyes lightly. Once they reached town Shuyin and Tidus waved as Lenne took her turn off. She waved back and drove off.

"You sure you know how to get home?" Tidus asked.

"Yeah. Is Clasko sleeping over?"

"Oh…" The blonde looked in the backseat where Clasko was fast asleep. "No. We'll have to wake him up and get directions to his house."

Tidus unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned into the backseat, shaking his friend's shoulder. Clasko awoke with a big yawn and even though he was half asleep managed to give them directions to his house. Shuyin pulled up in the Alastair's driveway. Clasko and Tidus said their goodbyes and Shuyin got out of the truck to help Clasko with his surfboard. Once the brunette got into his garage Shuyin bid goodbye to the brunette and returned to his truck. Tidus muffled a yawn behind his hand as Shuyin buckled up and drove off.

"Early bedtime for Tiddles…" Shuyin cooed.

"Oh shut up." Tidus grinned, giving his brother's shoulder a gentle shove.

The sun was nearly set and the porch light was on when Shuyin pulled into the garage. The blonde looked at his watch.

"9:31, not bad." Shuyin said.

Tidus nodded and yawned again. Shuyin turned his vehicle off and the two blondes got out. Tidus collected their picnic basket and gear while Shuyin put their surfboards away. They locked the garage up and went inside to find Auron and Rin sitting on the couch together. Rin looked up and smiled at them as they approached.

"Hey there. How was your day?" He asked, patting the couch beside him.

Tidus sat down beside Rin and leaned against him with a yawn. "Good…but tiring."

Rin smiled and gently petted Tidus' hair. "I can see that."

"Tidus is just a wuss." Shuyin teased, sitting beside his brother.

Tidus snorted and gave his brother a small kick. Shuyin just grinned.

"Any plans for tomorrow?" Auron asked.

"Not as of now." The older blonde replied. "How did your guys' vehicle search go?"

Rin sighed, "Found some nice vehicles but nothing we can afford right now…"

"Just wait until Luzzu moves over here and I finally settle in. Once we're not constantly moving the money supply should become more steady." Auron said, stroking Rin's hair.

Rin smiled and leaned over, kissing Auron on the cheek. "It's all right, Auron. I can buy a bus pass. There's no need to worry yourself."

"If you two are going to get all mushy I'm outta here." Shuyin said.

"Oh Auron! You're sooooo cute!" Rin cooed, pressing a bunch of kisses on Auron's cheek.

"Ugh. Gross." Shuyin said, getting up and walking off.

Rin laughed and Auron smirked, changing the channel. With another yawn Tidus moved to lie down and use his guardian's lap as a pillow. Rin smiled down at Tidus and stroked the teen's hair until he fell asleep. After that Auron turned the TV off and carried Tidus to bed before leading Rin off to bed.

-----------------------------------

Birds were singing. Tidus opened one eye to see Shuyin's bed empty and sunlight spilling in through the open blinds. With a huge, long yawn the blonde rolled over to look at his clock.

Oh wow. I slept in…

It was nearly noon. Tidus rolled onto his back and stretched his arms over his head. He was sore but not overly so. The teen got out of bed and dressed for the day. He walked down the hall to the kitchen and found two notes on the kitchen table for him. The first was from Auron:

Luzzu is going to be arriving here tomorrow so I've gone downtown to make sure his apartment is secured and waiting for him. Rin had a job interview not far from the apartment so he came with me. We'll be back around two or so. You and Shuyin looked so peaceful in your sleep…Rin wouldn't let me wake you.

Tidus chuckled and shook his head. He picked up the second note and read it:

Hey bro. I've gone to play skeeball with Wakka down at the docks. You can join us if you want, there's directions on the back of this note, but Lulu phoned around 11ish so your buddies might want to invite you out somewhere. Either way…I'll be back around four-thirty.

The blonde set Shuyin's note back on the table and pondered things over. He ate a quick breakfast/lunch then picked up the phone, dialling Lulu's number. After a few rings a man with a rather deep voice answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi. May I speak to Lulu please?"

"Yeah. One moment."

Tidus heard the man call for Lulu. A few minutes later she came to the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi Lulu. Shuyin told me you called."

"Hey Tidus! You're up finally. I was just about to give up on you."

"Yeah." The blonde chuckled. "Did a lot of surfing yesterday. So…what's up?"

"Gippal, Baralai, Chappu, Paine, and I are going shopping for Halloween costumes. Want to come?"

"Huh?" Tidus looked at the calendar. "It's only October first tomorrow. Isn't it a bit early?"

"Believe me Tidus, this town takes its holidays seriously. If you want to get the best Halloween gear you gotta go early."

"Well uh…" Tidus took his wallet out of his back pocket and opened it. He had $40. "Okay. Count me in."

"Great. Meet me at my house in half an hour."

Lulu gave Tidus instructions to her house and they hung up the phone. Tidus sighed and ran one hand through his hair. He didn't know what he wanted to be for Halloween.

-------------------------------

It took Tidus twenty minutes to find Lulu's house. When he approached Lulu and Baralai were sitting on the front porch having a smoke. Chappu was lazing in a porch chair nearby.

"Ah. You made it." Lulu grinned.

"Yeah." Tidus climbed up the porch steps.

"Paine should be here soon. Gippal is bringing Rikku so he'll probably be late if he has to pick her up from her place."

"Okay." Tidus nodded.

"Have a seat." Lulu said.

The blonde nodded again and sat in the empty chair beside Chappu. Baralai finished off his cigarette and threw the butt into a coffee can on the porch.

"So who did you go surfing with?" Lulu asked.

"Shuyin, Lenne, and Clasko." Tidus replied.

"Who's Clasko?" Chappu asked.

"A boy in my Chemistry class. He's in the tenth grade but he's trying to get a head start for next year."

"Clasko…" Baralai murmured. "That sounds familiar. I think we went to the same junior high. Is he rather tall with brown hair?"

"Yeah." Tidus replied.

"I think he was in a few of my classes in junior high. He was a quiet kid."

"Hey guys."

The group looked up to see Paine ride up on her bike.

"Hi Paine." Lulu replied. "Gippal's going to be late since he's picking Rikku up."

"All right."

Paine parked her bike and walked up onto the porch. She sat with Baralai and put her feet up.

"So have you guys decided what you're going to be?" She asked.

"Morticia Adams. I saw a wicked Morticia costume in the catalogue a few weeks ago." Lulu replied. "What about you?"

"I dunno. I was thinking Catwoman or something like that. Boys?"

"I don't know." Chappu shook his head.

"I don't know either." Tidus replied.

"I think maybe a vampire." Baralai answered.

"Weren't you a vampire last year?" Paine asked.

"No. I was James Bond last year."

"Oh right."

Ten minutes ticked by before Gippal's car drove up. He honked the horn briefly and Lulu waved at him.

"Come on. You guys can all come in Jaime's car." Lulu said.

They got up and walked to Jaime's car which was parked in the driveway. Lulu and Paine got in the front. Baralai, Chappu, and Tidus squished into the back. Gippal drove off and Lulu backed out of the driveway, following him.

"Did you have a Holiday Central in your old town Tidus?" Chappu asked.

"Nope. Is that where we're going?"

"Yeah. It's a really awesome store. It takes up two stories of this building. It's always got the best holiday stuff."

"What do you guys think of Rikku?" Paine asked out of the blue.

Baralai snorted softly and looked out his window. Tidus looked at him briefly and smiled sympathetically at him.

"Uh…I don't know. I haven't talked to her that much. She seems nice." Chappu replied. "Why?"

"Well Gippal has usually popped cherry and left them behind by now…but he's still with Rikku. I'm just wondering if there's something special about her that Gippal likes or if she's just holding out on him."

"The former probably." Baralai replied. "If she were holding out she'd be gone by now."

"Gippal is a jerk. Remind me why we're friends with him." Lulu grinned.

"Because he can be nice when he wants to." Chappu replied with a chuckle of his own. "And he wasn't a cherry hound until he hit high school so it's safe to blame his behaviour on late puberty or something…"

"Or maybe he finally realized my feelings for him and wants to show me, himself, and everyone around him how straight he is by boning every attractive female virgin he meets."

The car fell into silence. Tidus blinked and rubbed the back of his head, unsure of how to respond to that.

"Don't be such an emo bitch." Paine finally said. "Y'know that girl, Tifa? The one that had hair down to her ankles? Gippal didn't even notice when Tifa got most of her hair chopped off. The boy just ain't observant. I highly doubt he knows that you have wood for him. Chappu's late puberty theory is the best I've heard so far."

The corners of Baralai's lips twitched as he tried not to smile. Tidus and Chappu chuckled softly and the quiet tension in the car melted away.

"Here we are." Lulu said, making a right turn into a parking lot.

Lulu parked the car and everyone got out. Gippal parked a few spaces away and he and Rikku emerged from the vehicle.

"You know everyone here, right Rikku-baby?" Gippal asked.

"M-hm." Rikku nodded, blowing a huge pink bubble with her bubblegum.

The group made their way inside and Tidus looked around in awe. It was indeed a huge store filled to the brim with almost every Halloween goodie you could imagine. They made their way to the rows upon rows of costumes and started to browse. Lulu found her costume right away so she decided to help Tidus find one.

"Did you have anything specific in mind?" She asked.

"No. I've never thought about a costume this early before." Tidus replied. "Usually I just put on some of Rin's old, ripped clothes, put dirt makeup on my face, and call myself a hobo."

"How about a mummy? We could go next door to the drugstore, buy a few rolls of bandages, and wrap you up."

"I don't know…maybe."

The pair continued to browse. The next rack over Gippal picked out a Batman costume. Paine was right beside him searching for a Catwoman costume in her size. Chappu was in the makeup aisle, deciding if he wanted to be a zombie or not, and Baralai was looking for a "not too fruity" vampire costume. Rikku was running up and down the "girlie aisle" searching for the perfect costume. She was thinking maybe a belly dancer or a Playboy Bunny.

Half an hour ticked by. Everyone had their costumes picked out except for Tidus. Everyone was trying to help him but the blonde really didn't know what he wanted to be.

"Here…" Lulu grinned, pulling an adult-sized Dalmatian costume off the rack. "I think you'd make a cute Dalmatian."

Tidus looked at the price tag. It was one of the cheaper costumes there and the blonde wasn't really into Halloween so he didn't care about having a "cool" costume.

"Sure. Why not." He said with a shrug.

"Really?" Paine laughed. "You'll look so cute!"

Tidus and Lulu went down the makeup aisle and found a package that had both white and black face paint in it. The teens then took their purchases to the front desk and paid for them. Everything set Tidus back $20 but that was better than the elaborate $30-$40 costumes that they had suggested before. Once everyone paid and they were back out in the parking lot Lulu asked if everyone wanted to go out for an ice-cream.

"Nah. Rikku and I have a date." Gippal replied. "So long, guys."

"Bye." His friends replied in unison, though Baralai said it with less enthusiasm.

Gippal threw his and Rikku's bags into his trunk before they climbed into the blonde's vehicle. Lulu watched Gippal speed off before turning to her friends.

"What about the rest of you?" She asked.

"Sure. I just have to be home before four though." Paine said.

"I'm free." Tidus replied.

"I could go for an ice-cream." Chappu said, licking his lips. "Baralai?"

"Yeah sure…" Baralai murmured, looking out at where Gippal sped off.

"Where should we go?" Lulu asked, unlocking her car and getting in.

"The docks." Chappu replied. "There's a good ice-cream stand there and Wakka's there somewhere playing skeeball with…Shuyin I think."

"Yeah." Tidus nodded. "That's where Shuyin said he was."

Everyone piled into the car and buckled up.

"All right. To the docks we go." Lulu said.

The brunette started the car and drove off. Tidus was amazed to discover that the docks weren't far from his house. Probably only a half hour walk or so. The docks were also packed with teenagers. Lulu had to find a spot in the overflow parking area.

"Wow. This is a popular place." Tidus remarked as he exited the car.

"Yeah. The docks are lined with arcades, junk shops, food stands, music stores, surf shops…all that stuff. It's a really teenager-oriented place." Paine replied.

Chappu led his friends through the crowds to his favorite ice-cream stand. It was called "The Bee's Knees Ice-Cream" and it was run by a sweet elderly woman. Chappu swore that she never took a day off work and today was no exception. She smiled widely when she spotted Chappu.

"Chappu. Nice to see you again." She said.

"Lovely day, huh Mrs. Holloway?"

"Yes, very lovely."

The redhead took a hold of Tidus' wrist and pulled him forward. "This is my friend Tidus, Mrs. Holloway. He just moved here."

"Oh how nice. You'll love it here!" Mrs. Holloway exclaimed.

"It's a very nice town." Tidus replied with a smile.

Mrs. Holloway smiled at Lulu, Paine, and Baralai. "It's nice to see you all again. What can I get you?"

"Cherry mint swirl for me." Paine replied.

"Chocolate please." Lulu and Chappu said at the same time.

Lulu gave Chappu a semi-look, Chappu blushed, and Tidus chuckled.

"Vanilla pecan for me, please." Baralai said.

"And uhm…" Tidus looked the menu over. "I'll have…Peach, please."

Mrs. Holloway nodded and went about scooping ice-cream. When Tidus went to dig change out of his pocket Mrs. Holloway shook her head.

"Consider it my house warming gift to you." She said.

"Thank-you." Tidus replied.

"No problem, sonny. Now you and your friends enjoy this sunny day!"

"We will." They all chorused as they walked off.

"What a lovely woman…" Tidus remarked, licking his ice-cream.

"Mrs. Holloway is the best." Chappu said. "She's been working there since Wakka and I were young."

"Speaking of Wakka…where do you think he and Shuyin are?" Baralai asked.

"I don't know. Which place has the best skeeball?"

"Hmn… 'Mac's Arcade' I think." Paine murmured thoughtfully. "I seem to remember Wakka raving about that place's skeeball. Whether or not it was a good rave I don't remember."

"Mac's Arcade it is. Let's check it out." Lulu said.

The teens walked along the boardwalk slowly, enjoying their ice-cream, and the nice day. As they got closer to the arcade Lulu spotted Lenne and a few other cheerleaders standing outside the arcade. Tidus stopped short. Dona was standing in that crowd. Baralai noticed that Tidus had stopped walking and turned to the blonde.

"Tidus? What's wrong?" He asked.

Everyone else stopped to look at Tidus.

"Tidus?" Lulu walked up to him. "Are you ok?"

"Uhm…no. You know…I'm not feeling so good all of the sudden. I think I'm going to go home…"

"What? You can't walk if you feel sick. I'll drive you." Lulu replied.

"N-no. It's okay…" Tidus looked at the crowd of cheerleaders briefly. Barthello had come out of the arcade and was now standing beside Dona. "I need the walk."

Baralai frowned slightly. He glanced at the gaggle of cheerleaders then looked back at Tidus. "Did you have a run in with Dona and Barthello?"

Tidus' cheeks turned red and he didn't respond.

Lulu frowned, "What did that asshole do to you?"

"Nothing much." Tidus replied quietly. "Just pushed me against a car."

Chappu glared in Barthello's general direction before speaking. "Was that the day you and Shuyin gave Wakka a ride home? When I asked why he missed the bus he avoided the subject."

"Yeah…that was the day…"

Baralai walked up to Tidus and wrapped one arm around the boy's shoulders. "Barthello is an easily manipulated dingus and Dona is…well…she's just a bitch. Neither will do anything to you with us around. They might say some shit but they'll quickly learn to shut their mouths if they don't want to deal with me."

Tidus looked up at his much taller friend and smiled weakly. "Thank-you…but…I'd rather just go home."

"You can't let them bully you, Tidus." Paine said. "I know it's hard to deal with but if you let them push you around and run your life then you're letting them win."

"Come on. I bet Wakka, Shuyin, and the Aurochs are inside the arcade. They're really nice." Chappu smiled.

"And since Lenne is here I'm certain Yuna is here too. She's one of the nice ones too." Lulu added.

"Well…" Tidus licked some of his melting ice-cream off the cone. "Okay."

"Good boy." Baralai smiled.

With Baralai's arm still around his shoulders Tidus walked towards the arcade with his friends. Dona looked like she had something to say when she spotted them but quickly shut her mouth when Baralai gave her a really frosty look. Lenne was the complete opposite of Dona. When she saw Tidus she smiled widely and waved.

"Hi Tidus. Your brother is inside getting his ass kicked in skeeball." She giggled.

Tidus laughed softly, "Guess I better go help him out then."

Lenne nodded, "You better."

The girl waved again as Tidus and his friends went into the arcade.

"Let me guess. You're only being nice to the wussy twat so you can get into his big brother's pants." Dona said.

Lenne frowned, "You have a crappy attitude, Dona."

Lenne would've said more but her cell phone rang and her call display said it was her mother. She couldn't ignore the call or her mother would get paranoid and call the police. The brunette flipped her phone open and walked off to talk with her mother.

**To be continued…**

* * *

Awww. Baralai is protecting Tidus. How cute… :3 /sappiness. I'm fine. Really. I've just been living off of candy, Kool-Aid, and beef stew for the past few days :D;; R&R Please:). 


	12. Ch 12: Used

Tidus and his friends entered the arcade to see Yuna and the Aurochs huddled around a skeeball machine. As they got closer Tidus saw that his brother was indeed getting his butt kicked.

"Hey guys." Chappu motioned to Tidus. "This here is the new guy in town. His name is Tidus. Tidus this is the first and only blitzball team: Keepa, Botta, Datto, Letty, and Jassu."

Tidus and the Aurochs exchanged pleasantries and handshakes.

"Wow." Datto said. "You look like Shuyin's…"

"Twin. Yeah, we know." Tidus and Shuyin replied in unison.

The group had a chuckle and the brothers blushed. After that the group split up and made their way over to the other games. Tidus walked over to an empty skeeball machine and looked it over. Baralai came up beside Tidus and picked up one of the blue-grey balls beside the machine.

"Have you played skeeball before, Tidus?" He asked.

"Nope."

"Want to learn how?"

"Sure."

Baralai held the ball out to Tidus. When he took it the taller teen walked around behind Tidus. The blonde blushed as Baralai guided him through the motions. Paine and Lulu watched this from the racing game they were playing.

"Is it just me or is Baralai totally putting the moves on Tidus?" Paine asked.

"He's definitely putting the moves on Tidus. The real question is does he actually like Tidus that way or is he hoping this will make its way back to Gippal and a miracle will happen and Gippal will be jealous…?"

"That is… a long question."

"I'm guessing the latter but… I'll give him the benefit of the doubt." Lulu said.

"Tidus has that big brother of his anyway. If he suspects Baralai is using his little brother he'll do something about it."

"True enough."

The girls went back to playing the racing game. Chappu watched Baralai and Tidus, one eyebrow raised, before he went to play a fighting game.

"Ahhh…damn…" Shuyin sighed. "I lost again."

"You need more practice." Wakka grinned.

"I need a miracle." The blonde chuckled.

Wakka messed Shuyin's hair then went to play another racing game with the Aurochs. Yuna wandered over to the DDR machines and Shuyin went over to Baralai and Tidus. He gave Baralai a look over. The blonde wasn't sure if he wanted this guy's paws all over his little brother.

"Hey Tidus…how about a game?" He asked, subtly driving a wedge between Baralai and Tidus.

"Sure!" Tidus grinned. "We'll see who sucks more."

Shuyin laughed and he and Tidus started playing. Baralai smirked slightly. Tidus definitely had a protective older brother. Still smirking, the teen walked off to play another game. Lulu walked after him.

"So Baralai…got your eye on Tidus, hmn?" She smirked.

"He's cute." Baralai replied. "Every time he looks at me with that cute look in his eyes I want to hug him."

Lulu chuckled, "What about Gippal?"

The silver-haired teen sighed softly, "I don't know. If he's not interested then why should I bother with him?"

"You need to ask him if he's interested first, Baralai. Gippal isn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed."

Baralai laughed, "Yeah… I know. I don't know…how to ask him though and if he really likes Rikku I don't want to destroy that for him."

"I could do that for you." Lulu teased.

"No, that's okay." Baralai replied with a small smile.

Shuyin sighed heavily and hung his head. He'd just lost miserably to his younger brother.

"Beginner's luck." Tidus chuckled.

"I bet. I have a feeling I've been swindled or something." Shuyin joked.

"I'd never." The blonde laughed.

"So uh…you like that tall guy that was man handling you?"

The younger blonde blushed. He was used to his brother being protective (and sometimes over protective). "His name is Baralai and he's nice."

"Friendly too."

"Oh Shuyin…he wasn't hurting anyone…" Tidus gave his brother a playful shove. "You man handle people that you like all the time."

"I'm special though." Shuyin replied with a grin.

"You're something special all right."

The older blonde laughed and messed up Tidus' hair.

Over the course of the hour people slowly went home. Yuna and Lenne were the first to leave. Lenne blushed and gave Shuyin a small hug before leaving. Jassu, Datto, Dona, and Barthello left next. After bidding goodbye to his friends Chappu left with his brother. Jassu, Letty, Botta, and Keepa left a few minutes after Wakka and Chappu. Lulu offered a ride home to Shuyin and Tidus but they chose to walk.

"See you later Tidus." Baralai said, hugging the blonde.

"Bye." Tidus replied, blushing.

Shuyin rolled his eyes and waved goodbye to his younger brother's friends.

"So are you and Lenne going out yet?" Tidus teased as he and Shuyin walked along the boardwalk.

"No." The blonde smirked. "But soon…maybe."

"Ooooo."

"Ah shaddup…" Shuyin laughed.

The two blonde playfully shoved each other around all the way home. They found Auron and Rin sitting on the deck in the backyard sharing a pitcher of lemonade.

"Hey you two." Rin smiled, motioning for the blondes to join them. "How was skeeball?"

"I got my butt kicked by both Wakka and Tidus." Shuyin said, sitting beside Rin.

"How was your trip?" Tidus asked.

"Well I had one of my most promising job interviews yet. They seemed really interested in my work." Rin replied.

"And Luzzu's apartment is ready and waiting for him." Auron reported.

"Good news all around." Shuyin said.

-------------------------------

Later that night Tidus was sitting on his bed reading when the phone rang.

"Tidus! Phone!" Rin called from the kitchen.

"Okay!" Tidus called back.

The blonde picked up the phone that was between his and Shuyin's beds.

"Hello?"

"Hi Tidus." Click. Rin hung up. "It's Baralai."

"Hi Baralai. How are you?"

"I'm good. Yourself?"

"All right."

"Tidus…"

"Yes?"

"Will you… do me a favor?"

"That depends on what the favor is." Tidus replied.

"Will you ask Gippal…what he thinks of Rikku? I'd do it myself but if he starts prattling on about how special Rikku is and that he wants to marry her and all that I may feel the urge to 'convert' him…and I really don't want to make an ass of myself and destroy any hopes of having a friendship with Gippal by doing that. If I hear that speech from you I won't be tempted to jump Gippal and make an ass of myself…"

Tidus thought this over. "Well okay…but you have to do something for me."

"…What?" Baralai asked, sounding wary.

"You have to give me a hug."

Baralai chuckled, "That I can do."

"Is there any particular time you want me to ask Gippal this?"

"Nah…just as soon as you can is good."

"All right."

"Well I have to go. I've got homework due tomorrow."

"Okay. Goodbye Baralai."

"Bye. Thanks again, Tidus."

Tidus hung up the phone and went back to his reading. He wondered how he was going to subtly bring the subject up with Gippal…or if he should be subtle at all.

"The things I get into…" He sighed with a small smile on his lips.

Shuyin entered their room and moved to sit on his bed.

"I start basketball practice tomorrow morning." Shuyin said. "So unless you want to come to school with me at an ungodly hour you'll have to make other arrangements to get to school."

"Hey perfect!" Tidus exclaimed.

"Huh? What's perfect?"

"I'm playing matchmaker right now and you just helped me solve a problem."

"Uh… cool?"

Tidus got up and walked over to their computer. He logged into the school's website and looked up Gippal's number. The blonde grabbed the phone and called his friend. The phone had just barely rung once when someone answered.

"Ibanez residence."

"Hi, may I speak to Gippal?"

"Hold please."

Tidus waited. There was some clicking noises and finally Gippal answered.

"Yo."

"Hey Gippal."

"Tidus, what's up?"

"Can you give me a ride to school tomorrow?"

"Sure thing. I'll swing by and pick you up."

"Great."

"Cool. Well I hate to leave already but I have a date with Rikku and I still have some primping to do."

"I understand. See you tomorrow Gippal. Don't forget."

"I won't. Bye Tidus."

Gippal hung up. Tidus sighed and hung up as well. Things didn't look too promising for Baralai.

----------------------------------

When Tidus awoke the next morning Shuyin was already gone. He could smell breakfast cooking and got up out of bed. With a great big yawn Tidus walked over to his dresser and rummaged around for clean clothes. He dressed and headed for the washroom. Auron was showering so the blonde just brushed his teeth and left the bathroom.

"Do you have a way to get to school?" Rin asked as Tidus entered the kitchen.

"Yeah. Gippal is going to pick me up."

"Oh good. Have I met Gippal yet?"

"Not yet. You can meet him today if you want."

"Sounds good." Rin dished some bacon, hash browns, and scrambled eggs onto a plate and set it in front of Tidus. "Would you like a drink?"

"No thanks." Tidus picked up his fork. "Thank-you for breakfast."

"You're welcome."

Rin made a plate for Auron and set it in the man's place before making his own plate and sitting down.

"Did you get up early and make Shuyin breakfast?" Tidus grinned.

"Of course." Rin replied with a small laugh. "Couldn't let my oldest son have junk food from a vending machine for breakfast."

"You're all heart, Rin."

The man chuckled, "Yeah I know."

The two started to eat their breakfast. A few minutes later Auron joined them and read the newspaper as he ate.

Tidus had just finished eating when he heard a car pull into the driveway.

"Gippal's here. You two want to meet him?"

"Sure."

Auron and Rin rose from the table. Tidus made his way into the front hall and picked up his backpack. Auron and Rin followed their son outside. When Gippal saw them he rolled the window down.

"My parents wanted to meet you." Tidus said.

"Ah, that's cool."

Gippal got out of his car. Tidus introduced Auron and Rin and both men shook Gippal's hand. After that Auron and Rin gave Tidus a hug and he was off to school with Gippal.

"So uh… your parents are…"

"Gay. Yeah…"

"That's cool. They adopted you and Shuyin, right?"

"Yeah. After our biological parents died Auron and Rin took me and my brother in."

Gippal nodded and turned a corner. He was actually driving normal. Maybe because it was day time and there were a lot more cars on the road.

"Your…girlfriend Rikku seems nice." Tidus finally said after many minutes of silence. "She should hang out with us more."

"Hmn…" Gippal smiled crookedly. "Rikku isn't really my girlfriend."

"Oh?"

"Nah. She's just…" The blonde shrugged. "There."

"I see."

"I must sound like a complete ass."

"A little." Tidus replied, blushing slightly.

"Yeah… I know what everyone really thinks of me."

The blonde shifted in his seat. "Well Gippal…you must know that sleeping with virgins then dumping them is… mean-spirited."

"Yeah…"

"Then…why?"

"When I was fourteen my parents forced me to go to summer camp to get me away from my friends. Incredibly sad and pathetic long story short… I was seduced by one of the camp counsellors. I tricked myself into thinking that I loved her but once she had my virginity… she just dumped me. Since then I've had like… this urge to pass my pain on, to use other people like I was used. I know that sounds totally fucked up but…"

"No." Tidus interrupted. "It makes sense. It really does. But Gippal…you know that your behaviour has to stop. What you're doing will never fill the void inside you."

"What am I supposed to do then?"

"Well…you've already did something good for yourself… you've talked about what happened. You should talk to other people you trust and maybe even a professional."

Gippal turned another corner and pulled into the school parking lot.

"And you need to not use Rikku."

"Yeah." Gippal nodded. "I've been tryin' to resist…those urges."

The blonde pulled into his parking spot and killed the engine. He looked over and Tidus and smiled weakly.

"Thanks for listening, Tidus. It did feel good to get that off my chest."

Tidus nodded and unbuckled his seatbelt. "You're welcome, Gippal. I'm always here if you need to talk."

The two blondes smiled at each other then exited Gippal's car, heading across the parking lot and into the school.

**To be continued…**

* * *

Awww. Poor Gippal :(. R&R Please :). 


	13. Ch 13: Detention

Tidus and Gippal were on their way to class when the blonde realized he hadn't really gotten an answer for Baralai.

"So, uh… Gippal about you and Rikku…"

"I don't think we'll stay together as a couple. I would like to be friends with her though. She is a nice girl."

"Yes, she does seem nice."

"And you know Tidus… if you have a crush on me that's okay. I do think you're pretty cute."

Tidus' eyes widened, "What? No!"

Unfortunately the pair had just entered their classroom when Tidus shouted.

"Despite your passionate outburst against it we're still having a pop quiz Mr. Spardas."

The class giggled, Tidus blushed, and he and Gippal took their seats.

"Also, you and Mr. Ibanez are late. Detention after school."

Tidus held in his groan. Detention? Rin was going to _kill _him.

-------------------------------

"You got Tidus a detention?" Lulu asked, pointing a french fry at Gippal.

"I didn't mean to. The clocks in our house must be slow."

"It's okay Gippal." Tidus said. "I don't think we would have gotten detention if I hadn't shouted about the test."

Neither Gippal or Tidus spoke about the real reason Tidus had shouted that morning. Tidus hadn't told Baralai yet either. The fact that the silver-haired teen looked so eager for new was killing Tidus. There was also this detention he had to look forward to. The blonde sighed and looked up as Shuyin walked by with his friends.

"I'll be right back."

Tidus got up from the table and walked over to Shuyin.

"Shu? Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure. What's up?"

Tidus took his brother aside. "You'll have to come and get me from school at 4:15. I have a detention."

"Ooo. Rin is going to _kill _you. What did you do?"

"I was late for class."

"Well that's not so bad. Maybe Rin will have mercy on you and kill you quick instead of slowly." Shuyin grinned.

"Ha ha. Very funny."

"I'll be here at 4:15 to pick you up, bro."

"Thanks."

Tidus returned to his friends and sat down, digging into his lunch hungrily.

-------------------------------------------

The dismissal bell rang at 3:10. Tidus and Gippal had five minutes to reach the library. They both sped-walked down the hall as fast as they could (running would earn them another detention). They reached the library with one minute to spare. There were quite a few others already there: Wakka, Barthello, Botta, Letty, a girl Tidus didn't know, and…

"Rikku?" Gippal smirked.

"I ran down the hall at full speed nine times before a teacher noticed and gave me a detention." She giggled.

"Rikku-baby, you're the best."

Tidus sighed as Gippal went to sit with Rikku. He glanced around at the other tables, Barthello gave him a look that gave him chills, then opted to sit alone.

"Hey, Shuyin's brother! Come sit here!" Wakka called.

Tidus blushed and moved to sit beside the redhead instead.

"I have a name you know." Tidus smirked.

"Ya, I know. Tidus." Wakka grinned.

"Very good." The blonde teased.

Wakka was about to retort when their supervising teacher walked in.

"You're late." The girl Tidus didn't know said.

The blonde looked at the clock. The teacher was indeed late… by one minute.

"Don't get smart Ms. Crescent or I'll add thirty minutes onto your time. Right then, my name is Elma Ramza but I'm Ms. Ramza to you. Your detention is an hour long. You may talk but not loudly. You may get up but you may not run or leave the library without my permission. No cell phones, black berries, GBAs, PSPs, or any other technological gadgets. Understood?" The students nodded. "Also…" She eyed Gippal and Rikku. "No love birding."

Gippal and Rikku rolled their eyes at each other. Ms. Ramza went to sit at an empty table and pulled a stack of papers from her bag. Wakka leaned back in his chair, arms folded behind his head, and grinned.

"We lucked out. Ramza is lenient with the detention rules. So? What are you in for?"

"I was late for class. You?"

"The teacher caught Letty and me tossing paper airplanes at each other. Mine got stuck in some girl's hair and Letty's landed in the teacher's potted plant."

Tidus chuckled, "No wonder you got caught."

"Not our fault. There was this mysterious wind…" Wakka joked.

"Yeah right."

The two laughed. Elma gave them a sharp look and they quieted.

"So Tidus, want to go up behind the stacks and be naughty?"

"Excuse me?" Tidus blinked, fighting hard not to blush.

"Y'know…talk loudly and run around." Wakka grinned. "What'd you think I meant?"

"More paper airplanes." Tidus replied, inwardly congratulating himself on his swift reply.

Wakka chuckled, "Nah. I've learned my lesson about paper airplanes…for today anyway. So… Shuyin tells me your mother was Maya Spardas. Sorry to hear about what happened to her and your father."

"Thank-you."

"I almost lost my dad once but I was too little to remember it. He had a battle with cancer when I was about two years old. They only gave him a few years to live but he beat the odds. Been a healthy man ever since."

"Wow. That's amazing."

Wakka smiled. "It truly is."

"So tell me about this game you invented."

"Ah. Blitzball. It's like underwater rugby. It's not a spectator sport yet though since it's played below the surface. Letty and Keepa are working on special blitzball pool designs."

Normally sports talk would have bored Tidus to tears, but he was truly interested in blitzball.

"It's really hard to tackle someone underwater even if you're a strong swimmer." Wakka continued. "It's even harder when Datto cheats and slathers himself with baby oil…the little bugger. You and Shuyin should come play sometime. I bet you two would be good."

"It does sound interesting. I'll talk to Shuyin about it."

"Good." Wakka grinned.

"Hey Wakka." Botta said. "Will you help me with my homework?"

"Ah. Sorry Tidus. Duty calls."

Tidus just smiled and nodded. Wakka went to sit with Botta and help the younger redhead with his homework. Tidus looked over at Gippal and Rikku. Gippal was whispering to the girl and she was giggling softly. Ms. Crescent was reading a book, Letty was doing homework, and Ms. Ramza was still grading papers. Tidus' gaze fell upon Barthello. The teen was doodling on his binder and not looking at Tidus but just the sight of the big, burly teen made Tidus' skin crawl. Tidus moved his gaze back down to the table and he tried to occupy himself. He didn't have any homework to do and hadn't brought anything interesting with him.

Well…Ms. Ramza did say that we could get up…

The blonde slowly got to his feet and walked to one of the rows of books. When Ramza didn't yell at him or even glance up he started to browse freely. Soon he selected a book and went to sit down and read it.

----------------------------------

When Tidus looked up from his book it was 4:13. Two minutes of detention left. The blonde got up and put his book back on the shelf. Everyone, even the teacher, seemed to get antsy as the clock ticked onto 4:14.

"Almost free." Wakka murmured, smiling at Tidus.

Tidus smiled back and nodded. Everyone fidgeted. It seemed like a lifetime had gone by before the clock read 4:15.

"You are dismissed." Ms. Ramza said, rising from her seat.

Everyone else stood and started gathering their things.

"Need a ride home, Tidus?" Wakka and Gippal asked in unison.

The two gave each other a look-over and Tidus chuckled softly, trying not to blush.

"No. Shuyin is picking me up. Thanks for the offer…offers though."

Both teens nodded and headed off, Gippal with Rikku and Wakka with Botta. Tidus made sure he had everything before he left the library. He made sure to stay as far ahead of Barthello as possible and made his way out to the parking lot where Shuyin was waiting for him. The blonde jogged over and got into his brother's vehicle.

"How was your detention?"

"Boring. How did Rin take the news of my detention?"

"Pretty well actually. He didn't seem all that upset."

"Good."

Shuyin started his truck and drove off. As they made their way home Tidus told his brother all about blitzball.

"Yeah, it does sound interesting." Shuyin said once Tidus was finished. "Sounds like it could become a mega-popular sport. I don't know if I can tryout with you though. My schedule is pretty full, but,…I'll have a look."

The younger blonde just smiled and nodded. Thoughts of Wakka were still running through his mind.

Those thoughts vanished when Shuyin pulled up in the driveway though.

"Are you sure Rin isn't too mad?"

Shuyin smiled at his younger brother. "Rin is fine." He shut the truck off. "Come on. Let's go inside."

"Okay…"

The blondes got out of the truck and made their way inside.

"Hello dears." Rin smiled. "So, you were late for class today Tidus?"

"Yeah…" Tidus blushed. "Gippal said his clocks were slow…"

"Well that's okay. If he picks you up again make sure he's earlier."

"All right."

"See? Told yah he wasn't mad." Shuyin smirked, ruffling Tidus' hair.

Tidus smirked back and Shuyin went to get a snack from the kitchen.

"Hey Rin? Can I talk to you?"

"Sure thing."

Shuyin got his snack and went to his room to do his homework. Rin motioned for Tidus to sit at the table.

"Want a snack, Tidus?"

"Sure." Tidus replied, sitting down.

"I need to find a job. I actually baked this morning." Rin smirked, setting a basket of muffins on the table.

The blonde laughed, "Maybe you should stay a housewife, Rin. You're good at it."

Rin snorted and Tidus took an apple cinnamon muffin out of the basket.

"Tea?"

"Green if we have any."

Rin put water on for tea and sat with Tidus. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Well…one of my friends, Baralai, likes my other friend, Gippal. Gippal is currently with a girl named Rikku but Baralai wanted to know how Gippal felt about her. So he asked me to ask Gippal because Gippal is well…he's not that smart."

Rin chuckled softly and stood to make the tea. He made a mug for himself and Tidus and brought them over to the table.

"So what happened?" Rin asked.

"I asked Gippal and he thinks he just wants to be friends with Rikku. However he proved to be more observant than I thought but not quite enough. He thinks that me asking all those questions about Rikku means that I have a crush on him. But I don't…." Tidus took a nibble of his muffin and a sip of his tea. "So what should I do? Tell Baralai or should I tell Gippal that it's not me who has the crush on him, but Baralai…?"

"Hmn…" Rin took a sip of his tea. "I think you shouldn't give away Baralai's secret crush, but I do think you should make sure Gippal knows you don't have a crush on him. I don't think Baralai would mind much if you told him about what Gippal thought so that decision is up to you."

"Thanks Rin."

"You're welcome, hun."

"I'm going to go call him right now."

"Okay."

Taking his tea and muffin with him Tidus went to find Baralai's number. Once he found it he took the cordless phone outside for some privacy. Tidus finished eating a piece of muffin before dialling Baralai's number. After a few rings a woman answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi. May I speak to Baralai please?"

"One moment."

The woman set the phone down. A few moments later it was picked up again.

"Hello?"

"Hi Baralai. It's Tidus."

"Hey. What's up?"

"I talked to Gippal today about Rikku."

The silver-haired teen sighed softly, "…What did he say?"

"He said that he might want to just be friends with Rikku."

"What? Really?" Baralai sounded excited.

"Yeah. There's something else, Baralai."

"What?"

"Gippal thinks I have a crush on him."

"Huh? Why? I mean… do you?"

"No, I don't. He thinks I do because I was asking him about Rikku."

Baralai laughed softly, "Guess Gippal is sharper than we give him credit for."

"Yeah."

"Are you sure you don't have a crush on him?"

"I'm sure." Tidus chuckled. "I think I might have a crush on someone else."

"Oooh. Who?"

The blonde chuckled again, "Not telling."

"Aw. Too bad. Thanks for talking to Gippal for me. I owe you a big hug when I see you next."

Tidus laughed, "Yes you do."

"So Tidus, have a date for the Halloween dance?"

"No."

"Want to go with me?"

"Sure."

"Great. Well I gotta go. Mom says supper is ready."

"All right. Goodbye Baralai."

"Bye Tidus."

Tidus hung up the phone. He finished eating his muffin and drinking his tea before going inside. He put his dirty dishes in the dish washer and went down the hall to his room. Shuyin was sitting on the bed, chewing on the end of his pencil, and cursing at his math homework.

"I have a date for the Halloween dance." Tidus grinned, jumping on the bed and sitting beside his brother.

"Oh? Who?"

"Baralai."

"That guy who was feeling you up?"

"He wasn't feeling me up! And he likes someone else, Shuyin. We're just going as friends."

"Uh-huh."

"You're a dork, Shuyin."

Shuyin chuckled, "Thanks."

"So, who are you going to go with? Lenne?"

Shuyin's cheeks turned slightly red. "I don't know. Maybe."

"You really like Lenne, huh?"

"Maybe."

"Awww. My brother has a real crush on someone."

"Shut up, Tidus. As if you've never had a real crush on someone." Shuyin smirked.

Tidus laughed and moved over to his bed. He lay down on it and smiled dreamily up at the ceiling.

Shuyin is right about one thing. I may have a real crush on someone after all…

* * *

Aww. Shuyin and Tidus are so cute (pinches their cheeks) XD;; R&R Please :)  



	14. Ch 14: Dinner Guest

The days after Tidus' detention were rather boring. Everyone seemed to be stuck in one place in time. The only remotely exciting thing was that Auron's friend and co-worker had finally moved to their town. Everyone and everything else seemed to be stuck. Gippal continued to resist his urges but he never split things off with Rikku, Baralai didn't talk to Gippal about his feelings, Shuyin continued to moon over Lenne, Chappu did his best to annoy Lulu as usual, and Lulu did her best to ignore him. On the positive side the autumn/winter rain had seemed to have receded and it was nice and warm. Warm enough for Tidus and his friends to eat lunch outside on the small hill behind their school.

Tidus was sitting with Paine and Lulu eating his sandwich. Lulu was watching Rikku feed Gippal grapes with one eyebrow slightly raised.

"I think we should invite Rikku out with us." Paine said. "So we can get to know her better. It seems like Gippal may actually be serious about her."

"Don't you have a gig soon?" Lulu asked, opening her yogurt. "We could take her to a gig."

"And traumatize her for life." Paine chuckled.

"Nah, nah." The brunette grinned. "We could invite Tidus and Baralai along too. They can keep her company."

Tidus looked up, his mouth full of sandwich. "Wha bubo chdo?"

Paine and Lulu laughed.

"Swallow your food. Then talk." Lulu said.

Tidus blushed and swallowed his bite of his sandwich, "What about Chappu?"

"We can't invite everyone except Gippal. Then he'll feel left out. If we leave some others out they'll just assume that we could only invite a certain number of people… which is true. I can only invite four others."

"So me, Tidus, Baralai, and Rikku. That works." Lulu said.

"Thanks for asking if I have plans for this weekend." Tidus teased.

"Do you?" Lulu asked.

"No." The blonde laughed.

"Fine then. Want to come to the Sharks Club and hear my band play?" Paine smirked.

"Sure."

"You'll have to ask Baralai out as your date." Lulu grinned.

"Fine." Tidus blushed slightly and continued to eat.

Paine looked over to where Baralai and Chappu were sitting. Chappu was frantically writing an essay (due after lunch) while cramming crackers and cheese into his mouth with his free hand. Baralai was poking at the tofu and spinach sandwich his mother sent in his lunch.

"Do you like Baralai or what?" Lulu asked.

"Well…if Baralai wasn't hung up on Gippal I would maybe like to date him." Tidus replied.

"Oooo…" Paine and Lulu chorused.

The blonde blushed and took another bite of his sandwich. "What about you guys?"

Lulu tilted her head back and looked thoughtfully up at the sky, "I don't know. No one has ever really sparked my interest."

"Not even Chappu?" Paine smirked.

The brunette snorted, "Certainly not. He drives me nuts."

"What about you Paine?" Tidus asked with a small smile.

"Hmn…" Paine tapped her chin with her finger. "Letty is pretty cute. He's nice too…and really smart. Yeah. Letty."

"Interesting choice." Lulu replied, finishing off her yogurt.

The bell rang signalling the end of lunch. Chappu let out a rather girly scream and wrote at a faster place.

Lulu shook her head, "That'll teach him to ignore his homework."

"See you later guys." Tidus said. "I've got to hurry to Biology. We've got an test and I can't be late."

Tidus gathered up his backpack and the remains of his lunch before standing up. He threw his garbage in the nearby trash can and headed down the hill to school.

He made it to Biology just in time. The teacher gave him a look but said nothing. Tidus quickly took his seat and the teacher handed the test out. The blonde twitched in his seat slightly. He'd studied but this test still looked pretty tough.

"You may begin. You have the entire class to complete the test." The teacher said.

Tidus looked down at his test and started to read the first question. He chewed on the end of his pencil constantly. The first half of the test gave him a lot of trouble. The blonde had just finished the last question when class ended. He handed his paper in, not feeling that confident about it, and headed to his next class.

------------------

When it was finally time to go home Tidus shoved his homework into his backpack and headed to the parking lot as usual. However as he approached Shuyin's truck he discovered something that was not usual, Wakka seemed to be waiting outside the truck.

Tidus approached him and smiled uncertainly,

"Hello Wakka."

"Oh, hi Tidus. I'm coming home with you guys today. Shuyin and I have a project for History we have to get started on."

"I see." Was Tidus' feeble reply.

"I haven't talked to you since our detention. Did you talk to Shuyin about blitz?"

"Yeah. He said it sounded interesting but he's pretty busy. He was going to look into his schedule."

"Great. And what about you?"

"Sports aren't really my thing but maybe I'll come try out."

"Excellent." Wakka grinned.

Shuyin walked up to them with his knapsack stuffed full and his arms full of art supplies.

"I'm really glad this is my last year of school." He said. "Tidus, you'll have to unlock the truck. The keys are in the front pouch of my backpack."

Tidus nodded and walked around behind Shuyin. He fetched the keys and unlocked the truck, pulling the back door open for his brother. With a grunt Shuyin shoved everything into the back, but left enough room for Wakka to get in and sit down.

"What kind of project did you guys get?" Tidus asked, walking around the truck to get in.

"We have to build a model of a trading post." Shuyin replied, getting into the driver's seat and closing his door.

Tidus closed his door and buckled his seatbelt. "That sounds…"

"Boring?" Wakka chuckled.

"Pretty much." The younger blonde laughed.

Shuyin drove out of the parking lot and headed towards their home.

"The guy who interviewed Rin said he'd call today." Shuyin said. "I hope they gave Rin a job."

"Yeah, me too." Tidus replied.

"So what are you two up to this fine weekend?" Wakka asked.

"We're going to be doing our History project." Shuyin grinned.

"Very funny blondie. I meant after that."

"I don't know in that case. I don't have any plans. Tidus?"

"Paine invited me to Sharks Club to hear her band play."

"Ah sweet. I'll see you there. I know the drummer. Well I know Paine too but the drummer invited me." Wakka said.

"Is Chappu going too?" Tidus asked.

"Nah. He's got a major Math test on Monday so he's staying home and studying."

Shuyin turned onto their street and headed for their house. He pulled into the driveway and Tidus helped his brother and Wakka carry their supplies into the house. When they went inside Rin was just on his way out.

"Hello there. Nice you meet you." Rin said to Wakka. "You're the one that caught my son when he fainted right?"

Tidus blushed and looked at the wall.

"Yeah. That was me." Wakka replied, scratching the back of his head and blushing slightly.

"Thank-you…Wakka is it?"

"Yup. Wakka Abasi."

"Well thank-you again." Rin patted Tidus on the head.

"Riiin…" Tidus whined softly, his cheeks turning scarlet red.

"Sorry. I'll stop embarrassing you." Rin chuckled. "I'm on my way out to do some errands. I was going to take the bus but now that you're home… can I borrow your truck?"

"Of course." Shuyin replied, handing his keys to Rin.

"Thank-you. I'll pick up supper on my way home. What do you boys want? Pizza? Chinese? Mexican? Seafood?"

"Chinese food sounds good." Tidus replied.

"Chinese food it is then. Are you staying for supper, Wakka?"

"If it's not too much trouble. This is a big project…" Wakka replied.

"No trouble at all as long as your parents know where you are."

"They know."

"All right then." Rin smooched Tidus and Shuyin on the cheek. "I'll be back. Tidus, it's your turn to do the laundry."

"Yeah, I remember."

"Bye boys."

"Goodbye Rin." Tidus and Shuyin replied in unison.

"So long Mr…uh…" Wakka laughed and blushed. "Is your surname the same as Shuyin's?"

Rin laughed, "No. It's Shikima. No matter. Just call me Rin."

"Okay. Goodbye Rin."

Rin smiled and nodded, heading out the door. As the boys took their supplies down the hall to the bedroom they heard Rin drive off.

"He seems to be in a happier mood than usual. Maybe he did get the job." Shuyin said.

"We'll have to wait until Auron gets home to see." Tidus said, setting the supplies he was carrying down on their computer desk. "I'm going to do the laundry. Have anything you want me to take with me?"

"Nope." Shuyin shook his head. "I brought it all to the laundry room this morning."

"All right. Have fun with your trading post guys."

Tidus left the bedroom and was halfway down the hall when he heard Shuyin say,

"Wakka, were you just checking my baby brother out?"

"N-no…!" Wakka stammered.

Tidus blushed, smiled, and continued on his way to the laundry room. He walked through the kitchen and across the back porch, entering the laundry room. Piles of clothes were stacked on top of the washer. Most of them were Shuyin's. With a sigh Tidus started to sort clothes. He was checking pockets for Kleenexes and change when he found a piece of wrinkly paper in one set of his jeans. Tidus frowned and opened the paper up. On it the name 'Shelinda' and a phone number were written. The blonde gasped and smacked his forehead. He'd nearly forgotten about the girl he'd met that night at the club. Feeling like an ass Tidus went and got the cordless phone. He dialled Shelinda's number and waited for an answer as he shoved a load of jeans into the washer.

"Hello?" A girl answered the phone.

"Shelinda?"

"Yes, who is this?"

"This is Tidus from…"

"Tidus! Hi!" Shelinda laughed. "I thought you sounded familiar. How are you?"

"I'm good." The teen replied, dumping some soap into the washer. "How are you?"

"I'm great. You know…it's weird… I was just thinking about phoning you."

"Weird indeed." Tidus chuckled, turning the washer on.

"We must get together. I don't know about you but I had lots of fun at the club."

"I had fun too."

"Would you like to come riding with me this Sunday?"

"Sunday? Sure. What time?"

"Nine A.M." Shelinda's tone was suddenly very sheepish. "My driver will pick you up. What's your address?"

Tidus gave Shelinda his address and she told him her driver would pick him up at eight.

"Wear jeans and a long-sleeved shirt or a jacket. If it's hot put on sunscreen and bring water. Uhm… oh! Wear boots or runners." Someone shouted Shelinda's name in the background. "Oh. My mom is calling me. I have to go. I'll see you on Sunday okay?"

"Okay."

"Bye Tidus."

"Bye Shelinda."

Shelinda hung up and Tidus hung up too. The blonde sat on the washer and dialled Baralai's number.

"Hello?"

"Hi Baralai, it's Tidus."

"Hey Tidus. What's up?"

"What are you doing tomorrow night?"

"Tomorrow is Friday right?"

"Yup."

"Then nothing."

"Want to go to the Sharks Club with me, Lulu, and Rikku to see Paine's band play?"

"Sure."

"What is the name of Paine's band anyway?" Tidus asked sheepishly.

Baralai chuckled, "The band is called River Styx."

"Oh. Okay."

Tidus and Baralai talked for a few more minutes about homework and other random things before Baralai too was called away by his mother. Tidus hung up the phone, feeling slightly guilty. He knew he was supposed to ask Baralai out as a date but he was kind of hoping that he'd be able to dance with Wakka. Tidus fetched his homework from his backpack and sat beside the washer to do it. Once the washer was done he put his homework aside and shoved the wet clothes into the dryer. His back was starting to get a little sore so Tidus moved to the kitchen table to continue with his homework. He was nearly finished his English homework when Auron came in the front door.

"Hello Tidus." Auron said, entering the kitchen.

"Hi." Tidus replied, looking up from his homework.

"Where's your brother?"

"In his room doing a History project with a friend."

"Ah."

Auron opened the fridge and got half a blueberry muffin out. He then sat at the table beside Tidus and took a nibble of his muffin half.

"Where's Rin?"

"He's out running errands. He's picking Chinese food up on the way home. How was work?"

"It's so much better now that Luzzu's here. I can't believe the difference."

"That's great."

"What do you have for homework?"

"I just finished two poetry analyses for English and now I'm working on questions one through thirty for Math." Tidus replied.

"How did your Biology test go?"

"I don't know honestly. The first half of the test was really rough but I think I passed."

"Good, good. I'm going to see how your brother is doing." Auron said, finishing off his muffin and standing up.

"Oh, I was invited to see my friend's band play tomorrow night and I was invited to go horseback riding on Sunday. Is that okay?"

"Yes that's fine. Rin and I don't have any family plans for this weekend."

Auron left the kitchen and went to check on Wakka and Shuyin. Tidus continued on with his homework stopping occasionally to fill the washer or dryer.

------------------

Tidus was done all his homework and his tummy was rumbling loudly when Rin returned with supper.

"I'm home!" He called.

Auron emerged from the hall and kissed Rin.

"Good. I'm starving." Tidus teased.

"Very funny Tidus." Rin smirked, giving Auron another quick kiss. "Shuyin! Wakka! Supper!"

Rin walked into the kitchen and set the containers of Chinese food on the table.

"Auron can you please get the chair from our room for our guest?"

"Sure thing."

"Thank-you."

Rin got out the plates while Tidus got the utensils and napkins. Shuyin and Wakka entered the kitchen with Auron right behind them. Shuyin moved out of Auron's way and the man set a spare chair down by the table.

"Dig in everyone. Don't be shy." Rin said.

Auron filled his plate first then Wakka (since he was the guest) followed by Rin then Tidus and Shuyin. Wakka sat in the spare chair right next to Tidus and picked up his fork.

"Before you all start eating I have an announcement to make: I got the job. I'm now a photographer for the Coastview Journal." Rin said with a big smile.

"Yay Rin!" Tidus grinned.

"Congratulations." Auron said, pecking Rin on the cheek. "Though I must say…I enjoyed you as a housewife."

Rin snorted and Auron laughed. Shuyin and Wakka congratulated Rin on his job then everyone began to eat. Tidus had a mouthful of chicken dumpling when he felt Wakka's leg brush against his. He jumped at the contact and sort-of gasped, sucking his food into his throat. The blonde coughed, gagged, and turned a wee bit reddish purple. Everyone jumped up at the same time. Wakka and Auron both whacked Tidus on the back. Fortunately, the good whack dislodged the food from Tidus' airway and he was able to swallow.

"Tidus, are you ok?" Rin asked, sliding a glass of water over to the boy.

"Yeah. I forgot how to swallow properly for a minute there." Tidus replied weakly, taking a sip of the water.

Auron chuckled feebly and ran his fingers through Tidus' hair.

Very smooth move Tidus. The blonde thought. Choke to death on your dinner when Wakka accidentally touches you. That'll really impress him…

Tidus sighed softly and took another sip of water. He placed the glass back on the table and looked around at the four pairs of eyes staring at him with worry.

"I'm fine now. Really. The food went down." He said.

"All right…" Shuyin replied, slowly starting to eat again.

Tidus could feel his cheeks starting to turn red. He quickly ducked his head and cut his dumplings into much smaller bites. Rin and Auron followed began to eat again too, but Auron kept one eye on Tidus.

That was what…? The third time Wakka has saved my ass? He's going to think I'm some kind of damsel in distress soon…

Tidus ate the rest of his meal quickly but cut everything into small bites so there was no repeat incident. After they were done eating Rin cut them slices of pineapple pie and brought out the ice-cream. Tidus didn't bother to cut his pie up in small bits. Pineapple was one of his favorites and he just wolfed it down. Wakka looked like he wanted seconds of dessert but Shuyin dragged him back to their History project. Tidus cut a piece of the pie and set it on a paper plate before putting it in the fridge. He then cut himself a second piece and dug in. Auron went to watch the evening news and Rin walked to the sink to do the dishes.

"I have a busy weekend ahead of me." Tidus said, popping a piece of pie into his mouth.

"Oh?"

"M-hm." The blonde swallowed. "I'm going to see Paine's band play at the Sharks Club tomorrow night and on Sunday I'm going horseback riding."

"Wow. A busy weekend indeed." Rin smiled and scrubbed a plate clean. "I'm so glad you made some friends Tidus."

"Yeah, me too. I'm glad you got a job."

Rin laughed, "Me too. Now maybe I can buy a car of my own."

----------------------

When Tidus decided to go to bed Wakka and Shuyin were still up working on their project. The blonde changed into sleeping pants and a T-shirt in the washroom then headed into the bedroom. Both Wakka and Shuyin were sitting on the floor with the model between them. They didn't have much done but what was done was detailed wonderfully. It was obvious that they both wanted a really good grade.

"There's a piece of pie in the fridge for you to take home with you Wakka." Tidus said, not looking at the redhead as he walked over to his bed.

"Awesome. Thanks."

"No problem."

Tidus climbed into bed. He briefly looked at Wakka. The redhead was looking at him and he smiled.

"Goodnight Tidus."

"Yeah. Night T." Shuyin mumbled, not looking up from a tiny chair he was painting.

"Goodnight…" Tidus replied, his cheeks going pink.

The blonde climbed into bed, tried not to think about Wakka being in the same room, and eventually drifted off.

**To be continued…

* * *

**  
Poor accident prone Tidus XD;;. R&R Please :)


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